Xi'an attracts software companies with its large talent pool

Considerate services and conducive policies to companies

Having just returned from an exchange event of the software industry from Silicon Valley a few days ago, Su expressed her gratitude for such opportunities granted by the government, as well as its convenient services.

"As you all know, the administrative service is generally not available on weekends in China, but now, some joke that the (Xi'an municipal) government has become a seven-eleven convenience store where you can get good service almost seven days a week," Su said, adding that they only need one morning now to get all the documentation sorted out in one place, the government affairs hall with counters staffed by various different government departments.

Actually, the government has opened a 24-hour hotline and delivery service as well, and besides the considerate services thus provided, the software park also offers strong support to the companies to settle in.

"A company visited our office and regarded it as an ideal space for it to settle in our park, so my team moved out within two days so that they can use the office later," Lyu said.

According to Lyu, the property fees of the park have not risen up despite rising prices in the neighborhood. By doing so, the park, as part of the Xi'an High-Tech Zone and an important supporter of software companies, helps to reduce the costs of companies and provide preferential policies for them to settle in.

In 2016, companies in the Xi'an High-Tech Zone achieved an output value of software of 199.4 billion yuan (US$30 billion), 90 percent of Xi'an total. The high-tech zone with a large amount of software companies having settled in also contributes a large share of industrial support through cumulative effect.

Thirst for high-end talents

Developing based on the talent advantage, however, the software industry of Xi'an has not relaxed the efforts to keep their people happy.

To retain the talents, besides the "Hukou" of Xi'an granted by the government for employed staff to enjoy permanent residence in the city, the software companies also help them to apply for public rental housing, usually a one-bedroom apartment at a price of less than 1,000 yuan a month.

Besides, Xi'an municipal government has also sponsored the Global Programmers' Festival to attract talents from the rest of the country and around the world. Despite a city boasting a large pool of software talents, Xi'an, as Lyu emphasized, still faces a shortage in high-end talent, especially those with leadership ability and, more importantly, entrepreneurship. This festival aims to gather the programmers in China and the world, and attract and introduce more high-end professionals.