Graduates from Nanjing University take a group photo on campus. [Photo/CFP]

Many universities in East China's Jiangsu province recently released reports that showed an increasing number of their graduates have secured jobs in the province and taken up professions in emerging industries.

Data showed that 49.57 percent of the class of 2021 in Nanjing University chose to work in Jiangsu, 4 percentage points higher than the class of 2020. The proportion of graduates from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics as well as the Nanjing University of Science and Technology who did the same was also higher than before.

Of all cities in Jiangsu, Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi, and Changzhou were the most attractive to graduates.

Jiangsu's universities have been encouraging students to find employment in strategic industries and contribute to the nation's industrial restructuring and upgrading.

According to the universities' reports, areas like software and information technology, high-end equipment manufacturing, new energy, and new materials ranked high on the list of industries popular among graduates.

The reports also found that a large portion of graduates would further their studies. For example, 51.04 percent of graduates from Nanjing University and 48.26 percent from Southeast University would pursue a master's degree.