Chengdu's high-tech zone ramps up recruitment efforts around world

As a vital economic engine and major force in China's new economy, Chengdu in Sichuan province is taking new steps to attract the ever-greater number of overseas professionals needed to staff its local enterprises, according to the local government.

Delegates from Chengdu attend the overseas recruitment event in New York, the United States. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

In July and September, a large number of enterprises in sectors such as information technology, new economy and biological medicine from the Chengdu Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone launched a series of recruitment events in overseas cities including London, Dublin, New York and Boston. The events were attended by more than 650 participants and 140 jobs were offered.

Held by the Party and mass work department of the Chengdu high-tech zone and Chengdu Tianfu Software Park Co Ltd, the events named "Tianfu Talent Recruitment, Overseas Tour" have attracted several renowned enterprises including Changhong, Ubisoft Entertainment, Australia and New Zealand Bank- ing Group, Chengdu Winnersoft Co Ltd, ThoughtWorks and Kg.com.

The Chengdu high-tech zone has built an offshore entrepreneurship base in Boston. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The zone has held the event for three consecutive years. The previous events were conducted in the Silicon Valley, Seoul, Frankfurt, Stockholm and Toronto, attracting a total of more than 770 professionals, with 160 jobs offered.

This year's European recruitment seminar was held in London and Dublin from July 13 to 20, and the North American ses- sion kicked off in New York and Boston, lasting from Sept 13 to 17.

More than 3,000 candidates from the UK and Ireland were invited to attend through emails, telephones and text messages, with hundreds of resumes pouring in to fill 32 job vacancies.

More than 300 professionals in areas such as information technology and finance attended the event, with PhDs and master's degree holders accounting for 20 percent and 70 percent, respectively. There were 140 jobs offered at the event. The US seminar invited more than 2,500 candidates, with a total of 28 job posts receiving hundreds of resumes. More than 350 professionals in areas such as information technology and finance attended the event, with PhDs and masters degree holders accounting for 26 percent and 68 percent, respectively. The event resulted in more than 100 job offers.

During the recruitment events around the globe, the zone has built offshore entrepreneurship bases for overseas professionals in London, Dublin, Boston and New York as part of its remarkable effort to attract more talented people.

Staff members at the zone's offshore entrepreneurship base in London. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Based on the zone's latest rules, profes- sionals who are members of those bases will be free on their working time and enjoy favorable policies of the zone.

Representatives from local enterprises visited many trade agencies and renowned companies including Talent Technology, China-Britain Business Council, China Overseas Service Center Ireland and Guinness to tighten friendly relations and build cooperative channels with the Chengdu high-tech zone.

They also went to numerous prestigious universities, including King's College London, Judge Business School, University College Dublin, Careers Service of Trin- ity College Dublin and Harvard Office of Career Services.

Also, the delegates from Chengdu vis- ited several overseas innovation incuba- tors, including St John's Innovation Center in UK and the Impact Hub to discuss startup management experience.

Several enterprises including Ubisoft Entertainment and Changhong have joined the recruitment events for three consecutive years and achieved fruitful results.

Zhou Bangning, human resource officer of Ubisoft Entertainment, said the com- pany has recruited an excellent tech artist and a game planner.

After Changhong recruited the general manger of its research and development center in North America in 2016 through the overseas recruitment event, the com- pany again attracted a batch of chief scientists along with other talented people last year.

Wang Baoli, human resource officer of Changhong, said the overseas recruitment event is a cost-effective choice to find high-level professionals, especially in areas such as data mining and artificial intelligence.

This year, Changhong offered job posts such as senior researchers in big data and healthcare, senior IC design engineer and tech management trainees.

This year marked the first time Kg.com, a digital media platform on finance and new technology in Chengdu, participated in the recruitment event.

As a financial service platform focusing on block chain, internet technologies, financing and entrepreneurship, the company has a strong need for professionals specializing in overseas investment and new technologies such as block chain.

At the European event, Kg.com recruited three candidates.

A candidate attends the overseas recruitment event by Ubisoft Entertainment. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Bi Jiacheng, chief operating officer of the company, said that those people are perfect matches for the company both in terms of education background and personal experience. They are helpful to expand Kg.com's overseas businesses in the future.

As an area with opening-up policies and solid economic foundations, the Chengdu high-tech zone has become an ideal desti- nation for many famed multinationals to base their operations, including the US-based semiconductor manufacturer Global Foundries, Intel, IBM, medical device manufacturer Medtronic Philips, Maersk and Siemens.

There are also a large number of startups in the zone relying on its talent pool of some 100,000 people.

In April, the zone released a "golden panda" recruitment plan to attract exceptional overseas professionals around the globe with a maximum reward of 100 million yuan, offering them benefits such as permanent residence, financing, education for their kids, medical care and other government services.

To date, the Chengdu high-tech zone is home to some 482,000 talented people, including six Nobel Prize winners. The city has set up 21 offshore entrepreneurship bases for overseas professionals in areas including America's Silicon Valley, as well as Seoul and Frankfurt.