Huang Wanting, a mother of a 1-year-old daughter, is planning to relocate to Shanghai before summer this year even though she is a freelance video editor who does not need to commute every day.

"I have lived in Beijing for about 10 years, but the air conditions are deteriorating. I can see that the government is making a great effort to put everything back to normal, but that will really take some time. I cannot let my child to stay indoors for a month or so," she said.

Angie Eagan, managing director of MRIC Group China, said: "A growing trend we have witnessed recently is that employees throughout the region are becoming more risk-averse given a more uncertain economic environment. This has caused employers in China, who are fighting the 'war for talent,' to use more aggressive methods to retain good staff. Money remains a key driver in keeping or attracting talented people, but that alone is not enough."

"Senior managers are now strongly resisting full family relocations to Beijing. Instead, they are trying to negotiate a situation in which they fly in and fly out and their families don't live in Beijing," said Eagan.

Eagan also added that it is not only air pollution that is motivating professionals to leave Beijing. Other complaints include the high cost of living - especially housing and children's education, traffic jams, and concerns over food safety.

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