High-level talents are outstanding talents with high professional level and great influence in various fields, and are important resources to promote high-quality development and an important force to support modernization. The Guangdong Provincial High-Quality Development Conference clearly proposed to join hands with Hong Kong and Macao to accelerate the construction of a high-level talent highland in the Greater Bay Area and attract high-level innovative talents from all over the world. For Foshan, to implement the "515" high-quality development goals and tasks, high-level talents are an indispensable core force, and we must accelerate the gathering of high-level talents as the core task of urban talent work. At present, the competition for talents across the country is intensifying, and the competition field has gradually evolved from the policy level to a more complex talent ecological environment. The essence of the competition for high-level talents is the competition for the ecological environment of talents. So, what is the current situation of the concentration of high-level talents in Foshan? To what extent do the specific indicators of the talent ecological environment affect the gathering of high-level talents? and how to strengthen the construction of the talent ecological environment and the formulation of talent policies in a targeted manner?
Source: Picture Worm
A Analysis of the current situation
The agglomeration of high-level talents is accelerating
Based on the basic consensus and the convenience of data statistics, this study defines high-level talents as high-level talents with a master's degree or above, or with senior professional and technical titles or recognized by government departments at all levels in Foshan. Over the past ten years, Foshan's talent ecological environment has shown a trend of improving day by day, and the comprehensive index evaluation score has increased year by year, indicating that the talent ecological environment is gradually improving. Correspondingly, high-level talents in Foshan have also shown a development trend of accelerating agglomeration.
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1. The total number of talents has risen steadily and rapidly. Statistics show that from 2012 to 2022, the number of high-level talents in Foshan increased from 110,300 to 328,500, an increase of 218,100, with an average annual growth rate of 11.51%. Among these high-level talents, there are 4 academicians, 3 full-time academicians, more than 400 leading talents, nearly 6,800 doctors, 11 provincial scientific and technological innovation teams, and 229 municipal scientific and technological innovation teams recognized by the Provincial Association for Science and Technology.
2. Talent density continues to increase. From 2012 to 2022, the proportion of high-level talents in the total number of talents in Foshan increased from 10.49% to 14.54%, an increase of 4.05 percentage points, the proportion of high-level talents in the year-end employment increased from 2.53% to 4.91%, an increase of 2.38 percentage points, and the proportion of high-level talents in the permanent population increased from 1.98% to 3.02%, an increase of 1.04 percentage points. The three proportions of the data all show an upward trend, which fully indicates that Foshan is in a state of agglomeration of high-level talents, and also shows that Foshan's ability to gather high-level talents is significantly strengthened.
3. The proportion of high-skilled talents is prominent. Statistics show that from 2012 to 2022, the proportion of high-skilled talents in high-level talents increased from 83.41% to 90.00%, an increase of 6.59 percentage points. On the one hand, it is in line with the characteristics of Foshan's industrial structure dominated by the secondary industry, but on the other hand, it also reflects the shortage of high-level talents from the tertiary industry. There are two important reasons for this: first, the growth rate of Foshan colleges and universities and tertiary hospitals has slowed down significantly in the past few years, resulting in the growth of high-level professional and technical talents far lower than the growth of high-level skilled talents;
Foshan's high-level talent agglomeration is accelerating, but compared with the surrounding cities in the Greater Bay Area or similar cities in China, there is still a certain gap in the advantages of Foshan's high-level talent agglomeration in terms of scale and speed. In 2022, the total number of high-level talents in Guangzhou will be 4.65 times that of Foshan, 1.76 times that of Dongguan, 1.73 times that of Foshan, and 1.78 times that of Foshan.
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B Correlation impact analysis
Listed companies become the "first hero" of Jucai
On the basis of drawing on the previous evaluation indicators, the research group finally determined five ecological factors to investigate and evaluate the talent ecological environment of Foshan, namely economic development environment, science and technology environment, population employment environment, natural ecological environment and quality of life environment, and conducted gray correlation analysis for the data of 25 evaluation items to study the correlation between these evaluation items and high-level talent agglomeration.
1. The number of listed companies has the highest correlation with the concentration of high-level talents
The largest correlation with the concentration of high-level talents is the number of listed companies, and the correlation coefficient value is 0.919. From 2012 to 2022, the number of listed companies in Foshan and the scale of high-level talent gathering and their change trends show that the trend of simultaneous increase between the two is very obvious.
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Facts show that listed companies play an important role in gathering high-level skilled talents, R&D talents, and management talents: through overseas investment and mergers and acquisitions, they can recruit international talents; through high returns of enterprises, they can provide satisfactory net benefits for high-level talents; through enterprise association and industrial cooperation, they can provide professional team division of labor and cooperative relations for high-level talents; through technology research institutes, postdoctoral research platforms, joint ventures, and cooperation. Mergers and acquisitions can attract and gather high-level talents, and through project hiring, consulting and lectures, scientific research and technical cooperation, hiring consultants and short-term services, etc., it can flexibly introduce high-level talents.
2. Seven indicators, such as resident income and GDP, are highly correlated with the concentration of high-level talents
The seven indicators of per capita disposable income of urban residents, regional GDP, number of market entities, per capita park and green space, number of people insured by unemployment insurance, proportion of medical and health expenditure, and population inflow are all highly correlated with the concentration of high-level talents.
Resident income. The correlation between the disposable income of urban residents and the concentration of high-level talents ranked second with a coefficient of 0.856. In the past ten years, Foshan has given full play to the important role of salary subsidies in making up for the income gap between itself and Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and the municipal and district governments have successively introduced salary subsidy policies for high-level talents, which has played a positive role in the gathering of high-level talents. Taking Shunde as an example, since the implementation of the salary subsidy measures for high-level talents at the end of 2016, the cumulative salary subsidies have exceeded 2 billion yuan as of 2022, and the number of high-level talents has also increased from 53,800 to 78,000.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Some studies have found that the correlation between the proportion of the population with a college degree or above and per capita GDP is 0.44. The correlation coefficient between Foshan's GDP and high-level talent agglomeration reached 0.856, far exceeding the level of 0.44, which indicated that the GDP growth had a significant effect on Foshan's high-level talent agglomeration. This may stem from Foshan's manufacturing-based industrial structure, and in the context of the current transformation and upgrading, the gathering of high-skilled talents and high-professional R&D talents has more regional brand influence than other regions.
Number of market entities. The correlation between the number of market entities and the agglomeration of high-level talents was 0.847, indicating that market entities played an important role in gathering high-level talents. On the one hand, the growth of the number of market entities means that more high-level talents can be attracted and gathered to start businesses and find employment; on the other hand, a large number of market entities have also created good conditions for the work and life of high-level talents through the development of the economy, the activation of the market, the stabilization of employment, and the service of people's livelihood.
The area of green space in parks per capita. The correlation degree between the per capita park green space area and the concentration of high-level talents was 0.834, showing a high correlation. Although there is no direct evidence that there is an inevitable connection between the two, parks and green spaces play an active role in improving the life and leisure satisfaction of high-level talents and reducing the turnover rate of high-level talents. According to a 2017 survey of high-level industrial talents in Shunde District, 54% of them hope that the ecological leisure environment can be further improved.
Proportion of health and health expenditure. The correlation between the proportion of medical and health expenditure and the concentration of high-level talents was 0.818. Medical and health conditions are one of the important issues that high-level talents are concerned about. In recent years, Foshan has increased its expenditure on medical and health care, and the medical and health environment has been greatly improved, with the number of medical and health institutions increasing from 1,715 in 2017 to 2,699 in 2022, an increase of 57%, the number of hospitals increasing from 110 to 139 in 2022, an increase of 26%, and the number of tertiary hospitals reaching 12 in 2022.
3. The correlation between the three indicators, such as the proportion of output value of secondary and tertiary industries, and the agglomeration of high-level talents, is relatively low
The analysis shows that the growth rate of the three indicators of the proportion of output value of secondary and tertiary industries, the number of colleges and universities, and the number of cultural centers is significantly lower than the growth rate of the total number of high-level talents, and the correlation coefficient value is lower than 0.7. However, this does not mean that these three indicators have little effect on the agglomeration of high-level talents, with the continuous adjustment of Foshan's industrial structure and the high-quality development of cultural and educational undertakings, the agglomeration effect of these three indicators on high-level talents will be further manifested in the future.
4. The number of high-tech enterprises has the lowest correlation with the concentration of high-level talents
The correlation between the number of high-tech enterprises and the concentration of high-level talents is only 0.568, which is the lowest among the 25 indicators. The correlation between the number of high-tech enterprises and the agglomeration of high-level talents is the lowest, on the one hand, because the growth rate of the number of high-tech enterprises in Foshan is significantly faster than that of high-level talents, and on the other hand, it may be due to the fact that the ability of high-level enterprises to gather high-level talents is not strong enough. Because most of the new high-tech enterprises are in the growth stage, there is a relatively large demand for high-level R&D talents, while the demand for high-skilled talents, high-professional title talents and highly-educated talents is relatively small.
C Countermeasures and suggestions
Make use of strengths and complement weaknesses and build a good "reservoir" of talents
1. Expand the talent "siphon" effect of listed companies
The grey correlation analysis and the practice of Shunde and other regions show that listed companies are an important position for the introduction and cultivation of high-level talents. Therefore, the top priority of optimizing the ecological environment for the gathering of high-level talents in Foshan is to accelerate the cultivation of listed companies, and accelerate the gathering of high-level talents by doubling the number of listed companies and improving their quality. At present, Foshan is vigorously promoting the action plan of the enterprise listing multiplication plan, and strives to achieve the number of listed companies in the city by 2026 to about 135. Foshan should make full use of this opportunity to further expand the "siphon" effect of listed companies on high-level talents, strengthen the policy support for the introduction and support of high-level talents of reserve listed companies, and promote the construction of high-level talent teams in enterprises through "making up for talent shortcomings", and strengthen the cultivation of high-level professionals in the capital market.
2. Excavate the agglomeration role of high-tech enterprises in talents
At present, Foshan's high-tech enterprises have a considerable numerical advantage, reaching more than 8,700 in 2022, but their correlation with the concentration of high-level talents ranks last among 25 indicators, which indicates that this quantitative advantage has not been well translated into talent advantage and technological advantage. Therefore, Foshan needs to make full use of the huge number of high-tech enterprises, enhance the agglomeration of high-level talents, and realize the transformation of quantitative advantages into talent advantages and scientific and technological advantages. First, it is necessary to build various scientific and technological innovation platforms for high-level talents, second, to speed up the introduction and cultivation of high-level scientific research-oriented talents, and third, to speed up the introduction and training of management-oriented, professional and skilled high-level talents.
3. Rely on huge market entities to introduce high-level entrepreneurial and entrepreneurial talents
In recent years, the number of market entities in Foshan has grown rapidly, and while making great contributions to the revitalization of the local economy, it has also given full play to the role of "talent reservoir". The results of grey correlation analysis also show that the number of market entities is highly correlated with the concentration of high-level talents, ranking fourth among the 25 indicators. Therefore, Foshan should make full use of the role of "talent reservoir", rely on the huge market players, and do a good job in the introduction and cultivation of high-level talents in the field of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship, including strengthening the classification and evaluation of high-level talents in the field of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship in the market entities, and doing a good job in the service investigation and optimization of high-level innovative and entrepreneurial talents.
4. Rely on economic and cultural strength to build a city employer brand
Studies have shown that the premise of the inflow of high-level talents requires the establishment of a mature employer brand in the city. The city employer brand is the image and reputation of a city as a job market, and a good city employer brand can provide more and better talent support for the enterprise. Foshan is one of the most developed areas of private economy in China, one of the important manufacturing bases in China, one of the few prefecture-level cities in the country with a GDP of over one trillion yuan, and has been at the forefront of the country for many years. At the same time, Foshan is also a national-level historical and cultural city, with the reputation of "City of Martial Arts", "World Capital of Cuisine", "Southern Pottery Capital", "Hometown of Cantonese Opera" and "Famous City of Dragons, Lions and Dragon Boats". Foshan can rely on these advantages to actively build a city employer brand. At present, it is necessary to do a good job in two integrations: one is to integrate Foshan's urban cultural elements and high-level talent needs, create multi-dimensional urban employer brand content, and create a business-friendly and livable image of Foshan;
5. Enhance the role of industrial transformation and upgrading in talent agglomeration
Industrial agglomeration is the engine of enterprise and talent agglomeration. With the formation of industrial agglomeration, the agglomeration of high-end talents has also been developed accordingly. Some scholars divide this process into three stages, namely, the embryonic stage, the agglomeration stage and the clustering stage of the formation of high-end talents, and in this process, the demonstration effect, the talent advantage effect and the talent synergy effect are correspondingly generated. Based on the above theoretical analysis, Foshan must speed up the construction of secondary and tertiary industrial clusters to attract more follow-up high-level talents, and further form the "Matthew effect" of talent gathering through teamwork. The first is to focus on the characteristics of Foshan's export-oriented economy, promote export-oriented associations, realize the upgrading of Foshan's industrial clusters in the global value chain, and gather high-level talents with the upgrading of the value chain. The second is to strengthen cluster governance, promote the development of cluster networks, and realize the sharing and coordination of high-level human resources. The third is to rely on the "industry-university-research cooperation" of innovative industrial clusters to form the "Matthew effect" of talent gathering.
6. Further optimize the policy of rewarding and subsidizing high-level talents
The practice of salary subsidy policy for high-level talents in Shunde and other places shows that at the current stage, salary subsidies still play an important role in the introduction of high-level talents. Whether this role is a "charcoal in the snow" or a "icing on the cake", it will ultimately help to improve the satisfaction of high-level talents. Therefore, under the premise of "doing what we can", we should further optimize the policy of rewarding and subsidizing high-level talents, and continue to give full play to the agglomeration effect of the policy on talents. The first is to further improve the classification and identification system of high-level talents, and lay the foundation for the optimization of talent reward and subsidy policies. The second is to further improve the fit between the formulation of subsidy policies and industrial demand. The third is to strengthen performance evaluation and dynamically adjust the reward and subsidy policy in a timely manner.
7. Actively create a humanistic urban environment suitable for living and working
The beautiful natural ecological environment is related to the healthy development of talents and is an indispensable and important factor in the construction of the ecological environment for talents. Relying on natural ecological resources, Foshan should continue to build a landscape and cultural city suitable for business, living and tourism, and increase the regional cultural connotation and cultural attraction to talents. The first is to highlight the key points of talent-friendly ecological environment, vigorously improve urban comprehensive transportation, enhance urban quality, improve medical care, education, housing and other supporting services, and create good conditions for people to make the best use of their talents and self-worth. The second is to deepen the public services of talent-friendly ecological environment, establish a policy service system from the source to capitalize intellectual resources and realize self-worth, and promote the effective "docking" of talents, achievements, property rights and projects, capital and markets.
(Compiled and compiled according to the research results of the Foshan Social Science Planning Project "Analysis of the Impact of Foshan's Talent Ecological Environment on the Agglomeration Effect of High-level Talents" (Foshan Institute of Science and Technology); Source: Foshan Federation of Social Sciences)