Foreign employment agencies will be allowed to operate in China after it joins the World Trade Organization (WTO), but with some initial limitations, said an official from the Ministry of Personnel.

Foreign employment agencies will first be allowed to establish joint-ventures with large-scale, well-operated and government-run Chinese counterparts when the opening begins, said He Xian, director of the human resources administration centre with the ministry, the market regulator.

With the participation of the foreign agencies, the Chinese job recruitment market is expected to become vigorous. Methods used in the opening are expected to ensure that good service is given to customers and that their methods and managements perform as desired, He said.

The joint ventures created are expected to use scientific methods when appraising a job seeker's talents and capabilities.

However, the present job recruitment market is immature and is hindered by obstacles to the flow of talented people from one job to another in one place or another.

The market's regulators are expected to implement deep reforms affecting the job market and the behavior of those involved in it. The move is expected to make it possible for local agencies to compete on an equal footing with foreign counterparts before the market is fully opened, He said.

The construction of a national unified employment information network that will link local networks is expected to be completed in the near future, said He.

More than a hundred scattered information networks on the Internet operated by local government-run job sourcing agencies will be included in the system.

Job-seekers who have registered on one of the local networks will gain free access to the national information network.

The move could greatly mitigate regional limitations on the flow of talented people, for example, from one province to another.

Market regulators are expected to co-ordinate with related departments to solve long-standing problems involved with the country's inflexible domicile system and strict personal file administration system. (China Daily)