Jinan, capital of Shandong province, is fast becoming one of China's most dynamic talent hubs due to its robust economic growth, forward-looking policies, and innovation-driven culture.

In 2024, the total amount of talent resources in Jinan exceeded 2.87 million, with over 150,000 new young talents added and nearly 330,000 working in strategic emerging industries. The city has been named "China's Best Talent Attraction City" for three years.

The city's attractiveness to talent is closely tied to its economic vitality and technological advancement. In 2024, the city's R&D investment reached 37.49 billion yuan ($5.22 billion), up 8.1 percent year-on-year. The output value of high-tech industries in the city increased by 9.61 percent year-on-year, accounting for 59.22 percent of the total output value of industrial enterprises above designated size, which was 5.9 percentage points higher than the provincial average.

Policy innovation is another driver. Jinan continuously optimizes its talent policies. Recent updates focus on industrial alignment, youth innovation, and targeted support-like a new 20-million-yuan annual fund backing young entrepreneurs in science and tech.

Jinan introduced targeted policies in areas like AI, digital economy, and youth science talent to better align with industry needs. Initiatives include building training bases for digital engineers and launching long-term support programs for young researchers serving key strategic goals.

Jinan has actively built platforms to attract and support talent through both high-profile events and robust scientific infrastructure. The city has hosted the China (Jinan) New Growth Drivers Innovation and Entrepreneurship Contest for seven consecutive years, drawing 29 academicians and launching 586 projects with direct funding and equity investment, becoming a key driver of talent recruitment and industrial transformation.

Jinan also boasts a strong foundation for industry-academia collaboration, with 20 national key laboratories, three provincial labs, 81 new R&D institutions, and 52 universities with over 700,000 students. Leading disciplines-such as crystal materials at Shandong University and light industry technology at Qilu University of Technology-further highlight the city's innovative strength.