(Photo/Chinanews.com)

More graduates from elite Chinese universities are being hired by private companies, according to a report on graduate employment quality of more than 30 universities in China, Beijing Youth Daily reported on Jan. 29.

In 2018, for the first time, more graduates from Tsinghua University chose to work at private companies rather than State-owned enterprises, according to the university's 2018 data.

Only two out of 19 universities reported a higher graduate employment rate at State-owned companies.

Renowned private Chinese enterprises such as Huawei, JD, Tencent and Alibaba stood out as the preferred companies for graduates. For example, 263 of Southeast University's 2018 graduates and 211 graduates of Wuhan University were recruited by Huawei, making the company the biggest graduate employer at both universities last year.

Work at the grassroots level, including in western regions, has also become an option for more graduates.