Six of China's biggest state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have jointly launched their most ambitious recruitment campaign for senior managers.

It is the first to be organized by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), which was set up in April.

The commission yesterday said a total of seven posts including five deputy general managers and two chief accountants will be available.

China United Telecommunications Corp, China General Technology (Group) Holding Ltd, China Aluminum Corporation, and China National Foreign Trade Transportation (Group) Corp want new deputy general managers. China Energy Conservation Investment Corp and the State Development and Investment Corp want chief accountants.

The commission, as the sole owner of state assets, has taken over responsibility for appointing and dismissing senior personnel in the 191 leading SOEs.

"Recruitment of senior managers in the open market will help the enterprises find the most suitable people to strengthen their business," a SASAC spokesman said yesterday.

Those with overseas experience will help the companies explore markets abroad, he said.

The new recruitment campaign is an attempt by Chinese authorities to reform the personnel system in SOEs and introduce fresh blood from overseas.

SASAC spokesman said all but one of the advertised SOE posts are restricted to Chinese citizens including residents in Hong Kong and Taiwan. And people born in China who have studied or worked abroad and acquired overseas residency permits also qualify if they retain Chinese nationality.

"There have been some examples of inviting overseas Chinese to work in SOEs in the past and there will be more in the future," he said.

The jobs come with an upper age limit of 45, although exceptional candidates aged up to 50 years may be accepted.

Applicants must have worked at a senior level in multinational companies or state institutions and have Chinese language and computer skills.

Only China National Foreign Trade Transportation (Group) Corporation said its new chief accountant can be a foreigner.

SASAC director Li Rongrong has said earlier that China aims to build up to 50 internationally competitive enterprise groups in the future.

Applications are due by the end of October.

(China Daily September 16, 2003)