A number of leading companies have joined a Wuhan government-led recruitment delegation to look for talent in Beijing and Qinghua universities, two of China’s most prestigious universities. The companies and institutions included Wuhan Iron and Steel, Dongfeng Peugeot Citroën Automobile, Hankou Bank, Wuhan University, Huazhong Science University and Huazhong Agriculture University. Between them, they have about 1,200 job vacancies.

The first meeting on 1 December attracted more than 3,100 graduates. About 10 per cent of them signed an agreement with their potential employers to work in Wuhan, while 10 signed actual employment contracts.

One Qinghua graduate said that the difficulty in securing Beijing residential permits and the expensive housing market should they be employed there are among the main reasons why more and more of his fellow graduates want to leave the capital for major interior cities such as Wuhan.