Zhuhai is among 20 top domestic cities rated on talent scale, structure, efficiency, and environment in the 2021 China Innovative Talent Index released Dec 28.

Shenzhen Talent Group and the Research Center for Technological Innovation of Tsinghua University placed Zhuhai 16th, ahead of Xiamen, Zhengzhou, Foshan, and Qingdao. Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen are first, second, and third followed by Guangzhou, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Wuhan, Tianjin, and Ningbo.

Zhuhai National Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone (Tangjiawan) [File photo by Cheng Lin]

Zhuhai is home to nearly 700,000 talents. Among them are 224,000 professional technical, 208,000 management, and 136,000 highly skilled talents. The city has attracted 260,000 talents since initiating the Zhuhai Talent Program in April 2018, and has led the country in net talent inflow for three consecutive years. 

The Talent Program is considered the most forward-looking policy package in Zhuhai history. The government grants 6.7 billion yuan ($947 million) to attract various talents over five years, which is unprecedented in the country. Specified are 16 measures on introduction, cultivation, evaluation, and stimulation of talent, as well as support for innovation, entrepreneurship, and service.

Ten institutes of higher learning have campuses or colleges producing talents in Zhuhai. They are: Sun Yat-sen, Ji'nan, Beijing Normal, and Zunyi Medical universities; Beijing Institute of Technology, Guangdong Polytechnic of Science & Technology, United International College (run by Beijing Normal and Hong Kong Baptist universities), Zhuhai College of Science & Technology, Zhuhai City Polytechnic, and Zhuhai Art College.

Implementing the spirit of the September central conference on talent-related work, the report is China's first quantitative research on the quantity and quality of domestic innovative talents. It points out that development level of innovative talents has a strong consistency with regional economic growth, and they make great contributions to urban economy.