Comment on "Grads leaving big cities for lower living costs" (China Daily, June 10)

The Chinese College Graduates Employment Annual Report (2011), released recently, shows that more than one-fifth of the respondents of a survey have chosen to shift from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou to smaller cities because of the fierce job competition.

According to the report, graduates who cannot find a job that pays well are the biggest group that is likely to leave the big three cities.

I understand this trend among youths born in the 1980s. An increasing number of people have started challenging the value and benefits of higher education. Just as the report says, tuition for higher education has been increasing constantly while its value in the job market is declining.

A college diploma no longer carries the weight that it used to and does not fetch a good enough salary to live comfortably in a big city, given the continuously rising prices of goods and property.

It is good that some graduates have decided to shift to second- and even third-tier cities. They may draw the same salary in lower-tier cities but could live a much decent life because the cost of living there is comparatively low.

Besides, it would be good for the development of medium-sized cities, too, and by default the whole country.

Sam, via e-mail

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(China Daily 06/15/2011 page9)