About 30 job seekers were vying for each new white-collar vacancy in China that was advertised in September, according to a new report.

Chinese human resources website Zhaopin.com released its latest job competition index on Thursday.

The index, which represents the ratio of CVs recruiters receive to the number of vacancies available, stood at 30.4 nationwide in September, decreasing by 5.4 from that of April to June, according to the report.

Among the 37 cities included in the index, Beijing had the fiercest competition, with an index of 82.4. Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong province came second with an index of 39.7. Shanghai was listed fifth with 37.4, and Guangzhou at ninth with 26.3. The four cities are classified as first-tier cities in the country.

The report also found an increase in average salary in the 37 cities. In the second season, the average salary in these cities was 7,376 yuan. It increased to 7,599 in September.