As the number of Chinese heading to study overseas has soared in recent years, it has become increasingly difficult for those returning from overseas to find suitable jobs, according to a survey released on Wednesday.

The survey, "2016 Employment Report on Chinese Students Returned from Overseas", found that more than 80 percent of those returning have taken jobs that are not connected to the major they studied overseas.

Twenty-five percent have taken jobs with a starting monthly salary of just 5,000 yuan ($740), while only one-third of those surveyed expressed contentment with their current job.

The report was released jointly by Beijing think tank Center for China and Globalization, and Haiwei Career, a company under New Oriental Education and Technology Group, which helps graduates returning from overseas study to find employment.

The survey was conducted from April to June and polled more than 1,000 returning graduates.

The report found that 60 percent of enterprises favored graduates returning from overseas over those educated domestically, while more than 80 percent of employers would likely offer more preferential packages, including better posts and higher starting salaries, to returning graduates.

Private companies and multinationals, in particular, are more likely to offer better compensation packages to returning graduates than to those from domestic universities.

By contrast, public institutions and State-owned enterprises are less likely to treat the two groups of young workers differently, the report said.