Returnees lured by high-end opportunities

In recent years, the number of Chinese returning from overseas has been rising rapidly.

That’s because many of them believe the country has entered a golden age of development that offers countless opportunities for people aiming to boost their careers.

A report published by the Center for China and Globalization and highpin.cn shows that more than half of the 3.5 million-plus Chinese educated abroad had returned to the country by 2015.

Moreover, data provided by the employment and contact website LinkedIn indicate that returnees ages 30 to 44, who are seen as the “backbones” of the workplace, accounted for 31 percent of the total number by September, compared with 16 percent in 2010.

Some companies believe that many of the opportunities on offer in China are unique.

“Several job candidates currently working in the United States showed great interest in our business related to medical care and services for the elderly. They know China is tackling the aging population problem and they see the industry as one with excellent prospects and a profound social duty,” said Liu Dawei, chief information officer of Taikang Insurance Group.

Hu Xi, vice-president of Ant Financial, Alibaba’s financial affiliate, said China has been offering technical talent huge opportunities for the past three years, and many returnees are lured partly by the high rates of pay and partly because they want to participate in an exciting period in the country’s history.

He Changhua, chief architect of calculation storage at Ant Financial, worked in Silicon Valley for 16 years before joining the Chinese company. “I firmly believe that China will be the center of the world within two decades and I want to be involved in that,” he said.

“China has become a new paradise for people aiming for new heights and novel possibilities.”