The association, a voluntary organization of more than 300 local human resources institutes, plans to set up a system to monitor recruiters and job seekers in the city next year.

The system will keep records on employers who hire a headhunting agency but refuse to pay the due commission after the recruitment is completed.

And candidates who use job opportunities offered by headhunters to ask their original employer for a pay rise, instead of really wanting a new job, will also be blacklisted.

Association officials said that its members could consult the records to be alerted to possible economic losses before contacting companies or candidates.

The records could also be made public if headhunting companies sought a judgment from the market watchdog and compensation for their losses.

"Cheating behavior from either employers or candidates can cause a big waste of time and effort for headhunters. The association should take up the responsibility of fostering the emerging market when government regulations are absent," said Zhang Liang, the association's secretary general assistant.

The official said the association received a growth in complaints about troubles in getting paid a headhunting commission, or candidates who contact a headhunter just to gain a pay rise from their employers. But the association could not provide specific numbers.