The results of the Amazing China 2024 - The Most Attractive Chinese Cities For Expats survey were released on September 28, along with the annual Foreign Talent Attractiveness Index of Chinese Cities. Qingdao once again ranked among the top 10, placing ninth. This is the 14th time the city has made the list.

The 2024 survey covered 64 Chinese cities with significant foreign-talent populations, collecting 5,487 valid responses from foreigners living and working in China to compile an index that measured attractiveness across three dimensions—job satisfaction, convenience of daily life, and environmental friendliness—and produced a composite score of each city's appeal to foreign talent. The top 20 cities in the 2024 ranking are Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Suzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Qingdao, Xiamen, Dalian, Ningbo, Kunming, Haikou, Wuhan, Tianjin, Changsha, Jinan, Zhuhai, and Changzhou.

According to the Qingdao Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, the city adopts an open and inclusive approach to development to advance reforms to improve services for foreign professionals with pilot initiatives including easing procedures for foreign salary remittances and delegating authority to issue confirmation letters for high-end foreign talent. Qingdao has been approved as a pilot zone for comprehensive reform in foreign talent services for the establishment of a policy framework that supports recruitment, career development, services and protections, and social integration. Qingdao has in recent years been steadily improving service quality for foreign experts, attracting more professionals to pursue innovation and entrepreneurship in the city. Foreign nationals holding valid work permits in Qingdao currently account for about 45% of the provincial total, ranking first in Shandong. Up to 6 experts in Qingdao have received the Chinese Government's Friendship Award over the past 5 years, while 13 have been honored with the Shandong Provincial Goverment's Qilu Friendship Award.