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Returned overseas Chinese students flock to the
recruiting counter for Sinopec Corp at a job fair for State-owned
enterprises yesterday in Beijing. By providing 228 job vacancies and
57 projects, China's large State-owned enterprises are rolling out
the red carpet to returned Chinese scholars.
(newsphoto) |
Guo Fengliang, a manager with a Fortune 500 company in Australia, was
busy looking for job opportunities in a State-owned enterprise (SOE) at a
talent fair in Beijing yesterday.
"I still prefer working in SOEs although the
salary of my current job is better," said 31-year-old Guo. "China's rosy
economic picture and
emerging business opportunities make SOEs pretty attractive."
Like Guo, over 500 returned Chinese scholars and students participated
in yesterday's fair co-sponsored by the State-owned Assets Supervision and
Administration Commission (SASAC) and Chinese Communist Youth League
Central Committee.
By providing 228 job vacancies and 57 projects, China's large
State-owned enterprises are rolling out the red carpet to returned Chinese
scholars.
The move follows the efforts of SASAC to introduce
more qualified brainpower
to help improve the management of SOEs. And SASAC has been
seeking talent from around the world for top management positions since
2003.
The 48 high-level SOEs seeking new blood cover a variety of industries,
such as China Petrochemicl Corporation, China National Cereals, Oil &
Foodstuffs Corporation and Shenhua Group. Four of them are Fortune 500
enterprises.
"Returned scholars are more than welcome due to
their sound foreign language competence and familiarity with international
practices, especially when we embark on the 'go out' strategy," said Tang
Zhen, a headhunter
from China Nonferrous Metal Mining & Construction Co
(CNMC).
CNMC took part in a similar talent fair last year and recruited a
returned scholar who majored in finance. "We are quite satisfied with his
performance," Tang said.
Wang Xiaodong, director of the National Institute of Biological Science
(NIBC), is a scholar who returned to China in the early 1990s. He is
thinking of luring more returned scholars to work at the NIBC. "We can
provide a competitive salary if the scholar can demonstrate his
productivity. Innovative ideas and communication skills also matter for
researchers," Wang said.
"It is China's robust economy that is attractive to me," said Gao
Jingyi, a student pursuing his postgraduate studies in Germany.
For Gao, development opportunities rather than salary are his primary
concern. "I am hunting for a job that can enrich my practical skills as
soon as possible. As for salary, 3,000 to 4,000 yuan a month is acceptable
as I am still a newcomer who lacks work experience," he said.
Gao is planning to find an internship with a domestic enterprise during
the winter holiday. The lack of information about the domestic job market
and policies concerning returned scholars is a big problem for students
abroad, he said.
For returned scholars with rich experience working abroad, China's huge
market potential and plenty of business opportunities are very appealing.
Chen Fen, chairman of Chinader Group Co based in the United States,
brought to the fair about 10 projects covering biology science,
agricultural techniques and garment manufacturing, seeking business
opportunities in the domestic markets.
"My company is like a match-maker, making domestic
enterprises churn out products catering for European markets," Chen said. "We provide necessary help
in terms of technique and planning."
As more and more Chinese look to study abroad, their employment after
graduation is receiving increasing attention. According to a recent survey
by the China Youth Daily, about 87.7 per cent of Chinese students who
study abroad will choose to come back to work or start businesses, of
which 34.5 per cent will return once they finish their studies and 53.1
per cent will come back after working for some years abroad.
Shanghai and Beijing are the two premier destinations for retuning
scholars as they boast the most business opportunities.
(China Daily) |