Xiamen, the capital city of Fujian province, will host the mainland's first ever jobs fair for Taiwanese students in April, local officials announced.

The event, hosted by official employment services in Xiamen and leading human resources agencies in Taiwan, will offer more than 500 high-income jobs to Taiwanese students and young professionals in the mainland, according to Huang Ling, vice-mayor of Xiamen.

Huang said the organizers of the fair, which takes place on April 8, have conducted a lot of research on Taiwanese students and the job market situation of Taiwanese professionals in order to make the event a success.

He predicted more than 10,000 jobseekers would head to the fair for job openings and information, adding that the event would guarantee face-to-face communication between employers and applicants.

"The purpose of the fair is to promote cross-Straits exchange of talent, satisfy mainland enterprises' demand for Taiwanese professionals, and help Taiwanese students get employed on the mainland," said Huang.

Official statistics show about 7,000 Taiwanese students enrol in mainland colleges each year, with most of them being employed back in Taiwan after graduation.

The jobs fair will be held on the sidelines of the 10th China Xiamen Machinery and Electronics Exhibition, a major trade fair of Fujian Province.

Huang said that apart from job opportunities, the fair will also arrange seminars and lectures on the employment and business promotion policies on the mainland as well as cross-Straits exchange of professionals, according to Huang.

He added: "The fair will have an interactive, pragmatic and diversified quality."

(China Daily February 15, 2006)