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LOCAL BANKING professionals willing to work in the mainland are highly sought after and may climb the corporate ladder faster than those based in Hong Kong.

Hang Seng Bank needs more people to expand its mainland operations and compete with other major financial players from Hong Kong, such as Standard Chartered and HSBC, who are also recruiting to increase their share of the mainland market.

The bank has 377 full-time employees servicing 12 outlets in the mainland and needs to recruit more staff from Hong Kong by the end of the year as part of a plan to have 30 outlets by 2008.

Johnson Fu Chi-king, head of China business at Hang Seng, said that as the mainland's living standards improved, an increasing number of young and ambitious banking officials considered it a suitable destination.

However, there was a shortage of labour as foreign and Hong Kong banks competed to increase their presence in the mainland.

'We need staff as of last week,' Mr Fu said.

He said focusing on residential business would be ideal because of the growing mainland market.

Hang Seng has targeted the personal financial services market and wants staff who can help serve the segment.

By the end of the year, it will open six sub-branches - three in Shanghai, two in Guangzhou and one in Shenzhen.

The bank is using sub-branches, which can only offer personal financial services, to establish itself as a specialist in investment banking and loan services for a growing number of affluent residents in the mainland.

Hang Seng needs 100 Hong Kong staff who understand the city's banking system.

Among other positions, it is looking for a relationship manager, a mortgage planning and support manager and an assistant credit manager to meet the needs of its personal banking customers in the mainland and Taiwan. It also wants corporate heads in Beijing, Dongguan, Nanjing and Shanghai; sub-branch managers and financial service managers for Guangzhou and Shenzhen; and assistant  branch managers for the newly opened Dongguan and Fuzhou branches.

Recruits need at least three years of experience for assistant and sub-branch managerial positions and up to seven years' experience for more senior positions.

Ideal candidates must be self-motivated and have good interpersonal, communication and leadership skills.

Necessary qualifications and a strong command of Cantonese and Putonghua are essential.

Successful candidates will see their careers grow with Hang Seng, which wants to more than double  its capacity in the mainland by  2008.

Mr Fu said the mainland market was set to expand, unlike the Hong Kong banking sector, where banks had to encroach upon each other's customer base to raise their own market share.

According to him, the mainland provides better promotion opportunities compared to Hong Kong.

Employees get generous remuneration packages that include health-care plans, savings-related share option schemes and education awards for staff with management qualifications or bachelor's degrees.

Hang Seng needs a large number of people for its Shanghai operations, especially personal financial services staff and sub-branch trainees.

The bank has one branch and three sub-branches in the city and wants to add another three to increase its presence in the mainland's financial capital.

Mr Fu said Hong Kong banks and foreign banks were excited about the prospect of Beijing opening up its banking sector but the government was still cautious about exposing mainland banks to competition too soon.

He said major differences between the banking sectors in Hong Kong and the mainland may still exist, but that would change over time as the city increased its business with the mainland, and customers from both markets interacted.

'I think officials with experience in both markets are likely to be better positioned,' Mr Fu said.'

Balance sheet

Seeking personal finance services managers, sub-branch managers, retail business staff and sub-branch management trainees

Three years to seven years of experience necessary

Cantonese and Putonghua speakers required

Career-focused staff willing to learn from the mainland and Hong Kong markets preferred

One hundred Hong Kong recruits needed to fill positions at seven new outlets in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan and other mainland locations



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