Guangzhou will hold 24 free job fairs for migrant jobseekers after the Spring Festival, the Guangzhou Daily reported, citing the city's labor department.

The first job fair will be held Saturday. A recent survey by the city's labor department showed that Guangzhou enterprises planned to recruit an additional 4.28 percent employees in the first month after the Spring Festival holidays, and an additional 10.07 percent employees in the first two months. Most enterprises said they needed skilled workers, with at least a high school certificate.

Most enterprises, or 54 percent of the surveyed, said they would recruit new employees from job fairs, and another 27 percent said they would recruit by posting advertisements.

Guangzhou now has about 450 registered employment agencies. The labor department suggests jobseekers check an employment agency's certificate before paying them money. It said that a migrant worker should not pay an employment agency more than 200 yuan (US$25).

(Shenzhen Daily February 7, 2006)