This weekend, the large-scale comprehensive job fair “Millions of Talents Gather in Guangdong” will be held at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center (Futian). This grand event is not only a docking platform for job seekers and enterprises, but also a sincere Shenzhen-style invitation extended by Shenzhen to young people around the globe.
As a vibrant young city with a median age of 32.5 years old, Shenzhen’s history of reform and opening up is also a history of striving that gathers talents from all corners of the world and inspires the vitality of youth. “Here, we are offered not just jobs, but also the chance to build a career and a fulfilling life, paving the way for a splendid future.” This is the heartfelt voice of countless young people who have come to pursue their dreams in Shenzhen.
Today, as the first city in China to explore the development of a youth-friendly city, Shenzhen embraces the world with its open vision of “Once you come, you are a Shenzhen local” and sincere commitment of “Shenzhen Cherishes Talents, and We’ve Been Waiting for You”. It continuously optimizes the ecosystem for youth development, striving to build a broad stage for young people where there are opportunities to start a business, positions to secure employment, and guaranteed living conditions. It enables the vitality of youth to resonate with the pulse of the city, jointly continuing to write the “Story of Spring” in a new era on this fertile ground of reform.
Strategic Planning: Forging Shared Growth for Youth and the City
Youth is the future of a city.
Adhering to a holistic mindset, Shenzhen integrates youth development into the overall urban strategy and formulates a special plan for youth development in a systematic way. A party-government joint meeting mechanism for youth work under the framework of “1 municipal level + 11 district levels” has been established, forming a working pattern where the Party exercises overall leadership over youth work with concerted efforts from all sectors.
The concept of a “youth-friendly city”, first proposed by Shenzhen, has been promoted nationwide by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League and other ministries and commissions. Shenzhen successfully hosted the first National Forum on Youth-friendly City Development and released the Shenzhen Initiative, setting a replicable and promotable Shenzhen Model for the whole country.
In recent years, Shenzhen has issued the Pilot Implementation Plan for the Construction of a Youth-friendly City, rolling out more than 170 concrete measures and continuously improving its policy system. Bao’an District was selected as one of the first pilot areas for the national medium and long-term youth development plan. It took the lead in introducing a county-level youth development plan and establishing the first monitoring and evaluation system for youth-friendly urban districts, creating a demonstrative effect of reform as a “special economic zone pilot base”.
Secure Housing: Bolstering Youth’s Confidence to Put Down Roots
Housing is the top concern for young people settling down in a new city.
“During the two weeks I stayed at the Youth Station, I gradually let go of the anxiety of being a stranger in a foreign land and rediscovered a sense of belonging to life.” Ms. Wu, who checked into the Youth Station in Jihua, Longgang District this year, landed a job as an overseas customer service representative during her stay. Now officially employed, she is determined to strive hard and gain a firm foothold in Shenzhen. “From solving my accommodation problem to finding a desirable job, Shenzhen has given me immense warmth,” she said.
This year, the period of free accommodation provided to fresh graduates coming to Shenzhen has been extended from 7 days to 15 days. The number of Youth Stations has grown to 43, with a total of 1,194 beds. Since the launch of the program, it has served more than 230,000 fresh graduates in total. Multiple departments in Shenzhen have jointly launched the public welfare action plan “Shenzhen Dreams, Sailing Forward”, providing over 10,000 units of free accommodation across 9 administrative districts of the city.
From “a single bed” to “a whole room”, Shenzhen is building a multi-tiered housing security system for young people.
Recently, Shenzhen issued the Implementation Measures for Housing Support for Young Talents, offering transitional housing (at 60% of the market rent for a maximum of 3 years) or a monthly housing subsidy of 1,250 RMB (1,000 RMB after tax, disbursed for up to 24 months) to young talents.
Shenzhen is also building youth-friendly communities equipped with shared kitchens, book bars, gyms and other facilities. A variety of activities such as friendship gatherings, themed salons and city tours are organized to create a comfortable, convenient, healthy and positive living environment, enhancing young people’s sense of belonging.
Empowered Employment: Nurturing the Growth of Youth Dreams
Starting his career on the assembly lines of factories in the Pearl River Delta and having worked in sales and other professions, the young Yin Kuo launched his entrepreneurial journey in a 60-square-meter rental apartment in Shenzhen. Over a decade, he led the Xiaokuo Group to build a mouthwash product into an emerging oral care brand with annual sales of 2 billion RMB, turning oral care into a lifestyle aesthetic sought after by young people.
Shenzhen is a fertile ground for youth entrepreneurship. Statistics show that in the past two years, one out of every four newly established market entities in the city was founded by young people under the age of 35. In 2024, more than 150,000 market entities were set up by young people under 35 in Shenzhen, a year-on-year increase of 29.3%, reflecting the vibrant and boundless vitality of youth innovation and entrepreneurship.
From “a single desk” to “a whole office”, Shenzhen provides employment and entrepreneurship space for young entrepreneurs.
Recently, Shenzhen released the Several Measures for Strengthening Service and Security for Young Talents Coming to Shenzhen for Development. Eligible young individual entrepreneurs can apply for a rent-free entrepreneurial space of up to 10 square meters for 6 months; entrepreneurial teams can apply for a rent-free space of up to 50 square meters for 12 months.
In terms of financial support, enterprises founded by young talents can apply for an initial startup subsidy of up to 10,000 RMB, an employment-driven entrepreneurship subsidy of up to 30,000 RMB, as well as rental subsidies. Exceptionally outstanding projects have the opportunity to receive a maximum funding of 1 million RMB through the Kunpeng Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program. This targeted package of policies nourishes innovative seeds and helps them grow into forests.
Shenzhen has built a grand stage for young people to showcase their talents in employment. It runs the “Soaring Wings Program” for college student internships, creating no less than 5,000 internship positions each year. In recent years, the Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League, in conjunction with human resources and social security departments and universities, has held more than 20 campus job fairs under the series “Shenzhen Cares for You, Shenzhen Offers Jobs”.
Enriched Life: Building a Spiritual Home for the Youth
Diligent in work, colorful in life. Shenzhen has also built spiritual “charging stations” for young people, enabling them to gain a full sense of happiness and belonging on their journey of striving.
From drone skills and AI course training to kung fu tea making and Cantonese language classes, the Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League relies on diverse platforms such as the Youth Innovation Academy and Youth Night School. Aligned with young people’s spiritual needs and social scenarios, it has offered more than 6,000 courses covering intangible cultural heritage crafts, sports and health, music and fine arts, serving over 200,000 young people.
Blending mountains and seas, keeping the youthful promise. On December 21, by the Jinsha Bay in Dapeng New District, nearly 30 couples faced the sea and made lifelong commitments to each other at a collective wedding themed “A Covenant of Mountains and Seas, a Bond of Love in Pengcheng”.
Shenzhen has built well-known brands for youth dating and friendship, such as “Love in Young Pengcheng”, “Youth Love League” and the Dragon and Phoenix Grand Ceremony collective wedding. Since the start of this year, more than 100 youth dating events of various forms have been held, including script murder games and frisbee competitions, helping young people pursue their dreams and put down roots in Shenzhen.
From living and working in peace and contentment to leisure and recreation, Shenzhen is transforming policy visions into tangible opportunities and warmth for young people. With its unwavering sincerity and ever-evolving ecosystem, this fertile land of reform invites young people from all over the world to root here, grow bravely and chase their dreams fearlessly.
When the trajectory of individual striving resonates with the pulse of urban development, countless dreams of “exploring the sea of stars” will eventually converge to forge a more bright and splendid tomorrow for Shenzhen!
