China will implement the amended mainland employment regulations for Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao residents beginning Oct. 1, said a mainland official Wednesday.

The new regulations will lift restrictions on job posts offered by mainland companies, said Liu Danhua, an official with the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, at a press conference held by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.

The former regulations stipulated that mainland companies could only hire Taiwan residents if they lacked the professionals with the sought skill or they had failed to find a suitable person after three weeks public recruitment.

The new regulations allow mainland companies to employ Taiwan residents at their own free will, Liu said.

The new regulations also abolish the criterion that Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao residents seeking jobs on the mainland should have related work experience. This enables Taiwan graduates from mainland universities and other Taiwan residents to enjoy the same work opportunity on the mainland as their mainland counterparts, Liu said.

Procedures for Taiwan residents to apply for employment permits on the mainland have also been streamlined.

Taiwan residents working on the mainland can also join the mainland social security system and have the same opportunity for social insurance, according to the new regulations.

Stipulations to loosen criteria of the employment of Taiwan compatriots in the new regulations are also applicable to people from Hong Kong and Macao who want to seek jobs on the mainland, Liu said. 

(Xinhua News Agency June 15, 2005)