Some of the biggest state-owned enterprises (SOEs) may open recruitment to their top positions to the public this year, sources from the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) said yesterday.

The commission, which supervises 177 of the largest central SOEs, is expected to organize a new open recruitment campaign to bring fresh talent to the major SOEs later this year.

Although the exact timing of the campaign has yet to be set, the jobs to be offered will include general manager positions at central SOEs. This will be the first time that the first in command of these enterprises will have been chosen in such a way.

The SASAC organized two similar campaigns for less senior positions in 2003 and 2004, during which 28 central SOEs, including China Unicom and China Aluminum Corporation, offered 30 posts as high as deputy general manager and chief accountant to the public.

A few of the jobs were even open to foreign applicants, although none were successful. All applicants competed on the same basis and sat the same exams, said SASAC sources.

Before the experiment, such top management positions in central SOEs were directly appointed by central government.

But many SOEs, in the midst of reforms to improve their efficiency, have been seeking fresh blood to upgrade their management.

Li Rongrong, minister of the SASAC, told a work conference in January that open recruitment campaigns should give them greater choice, and that the past two campaigns had laid the basis for further reforms.

He said that subsidiaries of central SOEs should have all managerial staff chosen through a competitive process this year.

Yesterday, the SASAC also released a circular that set out guidelines and procedures for the open recruitment of executives in central SOEs.

It said that each enterprise should design a relevant recruitment strategy according to their own needs and clarify the criteria for management positions. Fair and open competition should be guaranteed.

Between 30 and 50 big enterprise groups are hoped to become globally competitive in the coming years.

More central SOEs are expected to get listed overseas and will be transformed into corporations that operate according to international standards.

(China Daily March 16, 2005)