Are Gen-Z Reluctant To Come To Shanghai?

Sample Data of Participants

A total of 269 students participated in the survey, 82% of whom were from Shanghai.

Over 70% are undergraduate students and bachelor degree holders, and less than 30% are postgraduate students and master degree holders.

Positive Impact of Covid-19 Lockdown

It is found that COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai has had a great impact on people’s choice of cities to work in.

Rise In Search For Job Opportunities

Despite the lockdown, the younger generation in particular, chose to seek for job opportunities in Shanghai.

Optimism Among Young People

Gen-Z in Shanghai are still optimistic about the opportunities and resources.

Attractive of New First-Tier Cities

New first-tier cities are the most attractive to young people who decide to leave Shanghai.

What Do Gen-Z Graduates Value When They Look For A Job?

Work Values In First Job

In comparison with the type of company and nature of work, college students value the potential of the industry more when looking for their first job.

How Decision Is Made

In comparison with the type of company and nature of work, college students value the potential of the industry more when looking for their first job.

Importance of Social Media Platforms

• Experiences of working in famous companies shared by normal bloggers or well-made contents posted by workplace bloggers can be found for reference on Xiaohongshu
• Search “fabulous company” on Douban and Weibo to find many groups and topics sharing real information on great corporate culture and benefit packages

Posts on Xiaohongshu, Douban and Weibo

People tend to learn about a new company and do background research on Xiaohongshu.

Job Application Channels

College students tend to send out their resumes through traditional channels, and follow recruitment channels of corporate-owned media.

According to the survey, though this COVID-19 lockdown has influenced the decision in the city to work among Gen-Z to a certain extent, most still decided to stay because of Shanghai’s industry agglomeration, and the number of working opportunities and abundant talent resources. They believe that the city’s accumulated strength will not be dissipated due to the temporary uproar of COVID-19.

According to the expectations that the college students have of their first job paired with the reasons for job-switching by Beisen, the potential of the industry seems to reign at the top. However, when deciding to change a job, the focus shifted to whether the nature of work is in line with their interests and whether the interpersonal relationship in the workplace is harmonious.

For enterprises, showing care to the employees under such unprecedented times can provide employees with a sense of security and as a result, increase their appeal to talents. In terms of recruitment, they should leverage key social platforms such as Xiaohongshu, Weibo, and Douban to build awareness. On the other hand, as college students tend to conduct background research before accepting a job offer, companies should maintain their reputation and respond to the negative reviews left on their websites in time to minimize the impact.

Download the full report here.