Nearly 30 Chinese enterprises participated in the 2017 Job Fair for Foreigners in Guangzhou on November 19, with the hope of finding potential foreign employees in China. Most of the enterprises are involved in education, electronic engineering, international trade, IT & animation, industrial design, biotechnology, health care management and marketing.
The job fair was held at the Guangzhou China Hotel, A Marriott Hotel. It was sponsored by Guangzhou Foreign Experts Bureau, the Information Research Center of International Talent of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (SAFEA) and ChinaJob.com. Over 500 job seekers from about 20 countries visited the fair on the day.
In recent years, the number of foreign people coming to work in China has been on the increase, so competition is becoming more fierce. Furthermore, Chinese employers are starting to expect more from their foreign staff than ever before.
"We are looking for foreign people to engage in ground handling services such as special flight services, boarding and arriving services and baggage services, to meet the demands of our internationalization strategy. I think that can help us provide a more considerate service to our foreign passengers. " Mr. Li, an HR staff member from China Southern Airline told newsgd.com.
Most job seekers were optimistic about the working environment in China, especially those with previous experience as an intern or working in the country. Amir, an Egyptian who worked an internship for a consulting company in Guangzhou, came to the fair to see if he could find any opportunities in finance. “In that company we have staff from six different countries. I think meeting (people from) new cultures over here is wonderful."
However, some of them expressed their concerns about the kinds of work offered to foreigners. Venera, a Russian lady who wanted to find a job in hotel services, said, “I expected more when I came here. But I found teaching positions accounted for over a half of the vacancies.”
It should be noticed that this is also the first job fair held in Guangzhou after the implementation of the Foreigner’s Work Permit System in China on April 1st, 2017, which establishes a nationwide “management and service system for foreigners working in China” (Website: http://fwp.safea.gov.cn) through which one can make online applications, online bookings and real-time inquiries about progress and results of reviews on the applications. Under this system, applicants placed in Category A are eligible for service through a “green channel”, which offers paperless verification pre-entry, an expedited approval process and other measures designed to bring in A grade talent.
In the last two years, Guangzhou has launched more attractive policies to encourage overseas talent, such as the "talent green card policy" launched on May, 2016, which has been welcomed by many. That card enables holders to enjoy equal treatment with local citizens as regards purchasing property, vehicle license registration, children’s schooling, bank account opening, etc.
Next month (December 20 - 21), the 2017 Convention on the Exchange of Overseas Talent, as well as the 19th Guangzhou Convention of Overseas Chinese Scholars in Science and Technology (OCS), which is also the largest, highest level and most influential convention on overseas talent in China, will be held in Guangzhou.
