Grassroots communities attract elite candidates

A notice of recruitment candidates by public institutions of Yuhang district in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, recently went viral on social media as most of the candidates were graduates of Tsinghua and Peking universities, the nation's top higher education institutions, with master's or doctorates.

"Actually, the notice spread on social media was published in 2018. The candidates who chose a job in a grassroots community were attracted by the potential and vitality of Hangzhou and the attractive package we provided," said an official in charge of the organization department of Yuhang district, who asked to remain anonymous, adding that the rapid economic and social development of Yuhang in recent years called for more high-end talent.

Liu Yunnan, a master of law graduate of Peking University who started working in Donghu community in Yuhang in 2018, first served as a clerk and was promoted a year later, becoming the community's Communist Youth League chief.

"Starting my career by working in a grassroots community has given me a good chance to improve myself, and it also bears huge career development prospects," said Liu, who explained that his job was more stable and career development channels were wider than those available to his schoolmates who found jobs in law offices or big enterprises in metropolises outside Hangzhou. He advises younger graduates to work in Yuhang for its favorable working and living environment.

Yuhang, in northeastern Hangzhou, realized a GDP of 282 billion yuan ($40.7 billion) in 2019, ranking first among all districts and counties in the city. The district was home to more than 1,000 high-tech enterprises in 2019, including the headquarters of e-commerce giant Alibaba.

The district has been holding special recruitment fairs for graduates of Tsinghua and Peking universities with master's degrees or above since 2017.

It issued a series of favorable policies in recent years. For example, candidates from the two universities can choose positions at public institutions or serve as senior employees in local government departments.

"The district provided us free talent apartments for three years," said Chen Ji, a graduate from Peking University who currently works at a local community in Yuhang.

Furthermore, the working environment and career prospects in Yuhang are more attractive for such highly-skilled talent due to the large numbers of corporate giants and startups.

"The daily work at the primary level community can enrich me, and I am touched by the vitality of the young people here," explained Gao Xiangrong, also a Peking University grad.

Cai Jingwen contributed to this story.