Global hunt for top skills accelerates

International job hunters talk with a human resource staff member at a job fair for foreigners held in Beijing, April 7, 2012. China will speed up the exploration of immigration policies in 2014 to attract skilled foreign workers, a senior official said on Thursday. [Photo / dfic.cn]

More talent to be sought as the nation eyes special policy to boost its appeal

China will speed up the exploration of immigration policies this year to attract skilled foreign workers, a senior official said on Thursday.

However, Zhang Jianguo, head of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, did not give details on when the policies will be introduced.

Experts said Zhang's remarks show that China may, for the first time, single out skilled workers as a special category in its general immigration polices, as the country faces a shortage of such workers.

Wang Huiyao, director of the Center for China and Globalization, said the government urgently needs to revise its immigration policies to attract more highly skilled foreigners.

"China's population is aging quickly and we also need more skilled workers for our economic upgrading," he said. China needs to loosen its immigration policies, including giving citizenship to skilled foreign nationals, he added.

Such immigration policies are common in Western countries, which roll out favorable measures for the skilled foreign workers they lack.

China has experienced a talent "deficit" for years. In 2012 alone, more than 148,000 Chinese obtained overseas citizenship, while just 1,202 expatriates were granted permanent residency in China, according to a report by Wang's center on Wednesday.

China usually grants its version of green cards to foreigners in certain categories: Businessmen who have invested at least $500,000 in the country; technical personnel such as managers; people with skills "needed by the State" and spouses of Chinese nationals, providing their marriage has lasted at least five years and they have lived in China for at least nine months in each of those years.