Seeking a healthier environment, next to pursuing promotion and finding a work-life balance, has become the third-most important reason for Chinese professionals to change jobs, according to the 2014 Talent Trends Briefing for China released by the international executive recruitment firm MRIC Group.

About 56 percent of the 5,000 polled respondents in China said a healthier environment is one of the four most important reasons to change their work locations.

For the 269 respondents in Beijing, the importance of a healthier environment has outweighed anything else to become the top reason for relocation, the report said.

Beijing is now less appealing to candidates. About 47.3 percent of the respondents in the city said they would like to relocate in 2014, the same figure as last year. The most preferred destinations are North America, Shanghai, Europe, Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand.

As to the most preferred destination for relocation, Shanghai is the most popular among all Chinese mainland cities while Beijing was dislodged by Suzhou in East China's Jiangsu province, dropping to third place this year.

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