Shenzhen firms seek 3,000 HK workers

Shenzhen firms aim to recruit 3,000 professionals and skilled workers at a jobs fair in Hong Kong in August.

It will be the biggest job fair organised by a mainland city in Hong Kong, with hundreds of companies represented.

'We have organised similar jobs fairs in Britain and Australia before. But this is the first time we've done it in Hong Kong,' said a Shenzhen official who is an event organiser. He said the recruitment plan would take advantage of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement that came into effect in January. The deal makes it much easier for Hong Kong professionals to work on the mainland.

'Hong Kong and Shenzhen are very close, and Hong Kong has many talents we need,' he said. The Shenzhen Career Expo will take place at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. The prospective employers come from both the private and state sectors.

The official said the vacancies were mainly for professionals or skilled workers.

'The job seekers should at least have some skills, otherwise why should we come to Hong Kong to recruit?' he said.

He refused to disclose the salary range on offer, saying the market would determine pay levels.

'Of course, we will consider the difference in salary between the mainland and Hong Kong. We also need to sort out other issues such as fringe benefits, welfare and tax issues,' he said.

An increasing number of Hong Kong people are now working or living on the mainland following years of lacklustre economic performance in the city.

Results this month of a survey commissioned by the Planning Department showed 61,800 Hong Kong residents aged 18 or above had moved to the mainland last year, 50 per cent more than the 41,300 who did so in 2001. More than 160,000 planned to migrate to the mainland in the next 10 years, the survey found.

In 2002, more than 100 firms from Shanghai held a jobs fair in Hong Kong and recruited about 700 people.