Angus Wai, head of human resources at BOC Credit Card (International), a subsidiary of Bank of China (Hong Kong), said Cepa and easier cross-border travel had given a boost to the credit card industry.

To cope with the rise in demand for new cards and services such as customer support, BOC Credit Card last year increased its Hong Kong staff, who also cover its Macau operations, from 550 to 600.

Most of the new employees work in sales and marketing or as customer service representatives. Because BOC Credit Card's customer support is trilingual, job candidates have an advantage if they are fluent in Cantonese, English and Putonghua. 'As the credit card industry is quite sophisticated, we generally hire people who have experience in the credit card field or have spent some time in customer service positions,' Mr Wai said.

The company would continue to look for new recruits, including fresh graduates who receive on-site and off-the-job training.

For example, in customer service, new employees receive two weeks' extensive off-the-job training before being assigned to work with an experienced mentor. Mr Wai said mentoring helped to create a comfortable working environment where new employees naturally became part of the company culture.

With seemingly endless credit card promotions and incentive schemes, it would be easy to think the Hong Kong credit card market was saturated. Not so, Mr Wai said. He believed there were some rich opportunities for growth.

'It's all a matter of packaging attractive products in such a way they appeal to different segments of the market.'

New products also create opportunities for promotion. BOC Credit Card operates on a flat structure with low hierarchy and encourages interdepartmental movement of staff to upgrade their skills and knowledge. Career paths for sales and marketing, and customer service, are designed to move horizontally and vertically.

'It is the policy of the entire BOC group to promote internally and create opportunities for personal and career advancement.'

For those with ambition and the necessary language skills, the mainland's burgeoning credit card industry can provide new career challenges within the BOC credit card operation.

Michael Page recruitment agency recognises the importance of Putonghua language skills to succeed at the high end of the mainland's banking and financial industries.

Andrew Oliver, Michael Page associate director banking and legal, said there were worthwhile career opportunities for investment bankers, private equity and fund managers working with joint-venture enterprises provided they were fluent in Putonghua and possessed excellent Chinese-writing skills.

'For executives looking to excel in China, language skills are now almost on a par with technical qualifications,' said Mr Oliver, who works with multinational companies in the banking and finance sectors such as Standard Chartered, HSBC, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley.

He said corporate finance professionals working in the mainland would be either looking to generate business through marketing or executing business such as drafting legal and financial documents. Those without outstanding Chinese reading and writing skills would certainly struggle, Mr Oliver said.

A trend has emerged as Hong Kong professionals retool themselves with Chinese-language skills. They must be sufficiently proficient to be able to discuss a profit and loss or balance sheet without any difficulties.

Ambition managing director Guy Day said accountancy was another area where Hong Kong practitioners were in demand in the mainland. 'There is a general trend of ramping up recruitment in all business areas related to China's financial services,' Mr Day said.

The fastest expanding areas are the banking and accounting sectors. According to Ambition's job index, accountancy positions have roughly doubled since the second quarter of last year.

Red chips seeking listings on the Hong Kong stock exchange and enterprises compiling initial public offerings are responsible for fuelling a significant growth in job opportunities.

Hong Kong accountants and auditors are also moving to the mainland to take up positions with investment banks. Experienced accountants and auditors are helping companies initiate international compliance systems and good corporate governance.

But the high salaries that were being paid five years ago have levelled off. Hong Kong accountants working in the mainland can expect to be paid the equivalent of a Hong Kong salary with an adjustment for the higher rate of mainland tax.

In anticipation of Chinese banking reforms and determined to tap into US$1.3 trillion in personal savings in the mainland, HSBC was one of the first foreign lenders to get its foot in the door of China's credit card industry.

Louise Lam, HSBC head of human resources operations Asia-Pacific, said HSBC was positive about its long-term future on the mainland.

HSBC recently added several qualified bankers to meet the demands of new businesses, including head of China advisory, Bob Yang, and head of international mergers and acquisitions for China, Bob Dodds.

HSBC saw a threefold increase in loans last year granted to Hong Kong companies operating in the mainland.

The bank is also engaged in training back-office staff on the mainland to handle credit card inquiries. Global processing centres in Shanghai and Guangzhou employ more than 3,000 staff.

'We send Hong Kong managers to oversee training to ensure the highest levels of service are maintained,' Mrs Lam said.

HSBC has also set up an IT development centre in Guangzhou where mainland and Hong Kong technicians work.

Away from Guangzhou, where the HSBC brand name is less well known, the bank is working hard to establish a reputation as a preferred employer. Through a structured career programme, mainland employees are encouraged to plan a future with the bank.

'We want to develop a culture similar to Hong Kong where a job with HSBC is usually a long-term career.' Mrs Lam said that to accommodate these changes, the HSBC human resources team formulated annual plans. Within these plans, recruitment schedules were drawn up in balance with internal restructuring.

Taking the credit

Cepa and ease of travel from the mainland are providing a boost to the credit card industry - producing more job opportunities.

There are worthwhile career opportunities for investment bankers, private equity and fund managers working with joint ventures in China.

Experienced accountants and auditors are needed to help mainland companies initiate international compliance systems.

Outstanding Chinese writing and Putonghua speaking skills are now almost on a par with technical qualifications.

The high salaries that were being paid five years ago have levelled off.