Shenzhen intends to double the number of skilled people hired from overseas and will recruit 15,000 university graduates from other provinces this year to make the city more competitive following China's entry to the WTO.
Shenzhen's Deputy Mayor Li Decheng warned on Wednesday that Shenzhen faced greater competition.
The city has put professionals familiar with World Trade Organisation rules and foreign trade on top of its most-wanted list.
'The personnel must have new ideas, new ways of thinking and new methods,' Mr Li said, but did not elaborate on the numbers involved.
The Shenzhen Government will embark on an overseas tour this year to encourage more international talent, local media said. It did not specify if the recruitment fair would be held in Hong Kong.
Shenzhen lags behind Beijing and Shanghai in terms of having access to university graduates, but needs them quickly due to its more advanced stage of economic development.