Volunteers who have served in the western regions of China are more preferred by employers, a survey published on Thursday has shown.

The survey on 1,044 employers shows that more than 60 percent of the respondents think a candidate with experience volunteering in China's western regions is preferable.

The survey conducted by the China Youth Daily, about 63 percent of the respondents said all other things being equal, they would give preference to a recent graduate who had volunteered in China's seven-year-old "Go West" program.

About 34 percent of employers said it depends on other factors, while only 2.5 percent said they would prefer to employ a new graduate rather than a former volunteer.

Employers said dedication, integrity and good communication skills as displayed in volunteer service are among the most valued attributes.` Such attributes show up in volunteers' real work.

Up to 81 percent of those who have employed former volunteers said they were satisfied with the former volunteers' work.

China launched the "Go West" program in 2003.

The program selects university graduates to do volunteer work in education, health, agriculture and poverty alleviation for one or two years in China's western regions: Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Ningxia, Qinghai and Xinjiang.

As of 2009, 52,692 volunteers had taken part in the program.

Most of the volunteers later found jobs which require strong communication skills, such as sales, public relations, or program management and coordination, the survey showed.

According to the survey, 51.7 percent of employers said lack of work experience is a major reason new graduates' job applications are rejected, which suggests work at the grassroots level can give volunteers the experience they need to help their job applications.