Gen Y's motto: Show me the money

Different place

"In some important respects, the findings show that China is a very different place than the United Kingdom or other Western countries, said James Cullens, group human resources director of Hays.

"Young people have different values, as you might expect in a very different culture stretching back for thousands of years.

"Yet in other ways, young people appear the same everywhere in the world," Cullens said.

Although young Chinese people are eager to earn money, they have a deeply rooted respect for learning — far stronger than in other countries surveyed.

When asked what they wanted most from their careers, 55 percent rated acquiring knowledge and expertise as a priority — far higher than in other countries.

Young Chinese also value opportunities for training and development and ongoing study opportunities, seeing these as routes to a successful career.

Organizations able to offer such opportunities, coupled with clear personal development strategies, are likely to have the edge as attractive employers in the eyes of many talented and ambitious young Chinese people, the survey found.

Another finding of the survey was that Generation Y Chinese, while keen to make money and enjoy a successful career, also crave recognition for their achievements.

Asked how they would define career success, creating personal wealth came out on top, but it was closely followed by the wish to gain public and professional recognition.

Even job titles may, for some people, have a disproportionate value. Hays noted that human resources managers need to consider this as part of the overall employment offer.

Yang Kai, 29, has been working in his father's company in Shanghai, which exports glassware to Europe, since he earned a postgraduate degree in Australia four years ago. He chose to study business administration with the goal of taking over the family business.

"I don't care how much the company pays me. My only wish is to take over my father's business. At this point, our company is only taking orders and doing the simple manufacturing work.

"I wish to export our own designs to European countries, which is definitely my long-term career goal," he said.