That's according to research conducted earlier this month by the city-run Shanghai Human Resources Center.

With the dot.com bubble having burst, Internet engineers, who were the most sought-after professionals in 2000, tumbled to No. 10, the center's study concluded.

Meanwhile, a report by www.ChinaHR.com, an employment Website, has found that the salaries for dot.com professionals, which averaged 6,000 yuan a month two years ago, has plummeted 25 percent.

The Shanghai Human Resources Center released the findings of its survey this past weekend at an information technology job fair that attracted about 3,700 skilled workers looking for jobs.

The highest-paying position offered 16,500 yuan a month, while the lowest paid 1,000 yuan.

"Among the highest-paying positions were electronic and computer software engineers. The salaries are high, driven up by the continued momentum of investment in the local industry during the past year," said Dong Liangkun, a center spokesman.

However, only 5 percent of the firms at the job fair represented Internet firms, Dong said.

If the fair is any indication, employers are seeking better-educated workers. About 60 percent of the positions available required a master's degree or doctorate, Dong said. In a related development, the Shanghai Human Resources Center announced that more than 100 Chinese who were educated overseas have returned to Shanghai since January 1.

This appears to be an indication that the global slowdown in the information technology industry is causing a fair number of overseas-educated professionals to return to the city, said city personnel specialists.

"They were drawn by the city's incentives that include ease in obtaining subsidized housing," said Tao Shenxian, a department director for the Shanghai Personnel Bureau. "Many were laid off in the weakening employment market in the West."

(eastday.com January 22, 2002)