Skyscrapers border the lush green landscaping in Shenzhen's central business district. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)
Shenzhen held its civil servant enrollment examination over the weekend to fill 1,069 jobs in more than 900 types of government posts, and for the first time, five of those jobs were reserved for residents of the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.
The reserved jobs include one in each of the following areas: administrative management, financial supervision, urban planning, foreign personnel management and medical security. Hong Kong and Macao residents who graduated from college with a bachelor's degree or above were able to apply.
The jobs are related to the city forming part of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the city's role as a demonstration pilot zone of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
A total of 446 qualified applicants from Hong Kong and Macao took part in the competitive exam.
"We did not expect the five posts to attract so many applicants. About 90 people are competing for one position on average," said Guo Xusheng, an official overseeing examinations for Shenzhen's organization department. There are more Hong Kong people than Macao people among the 446 applicants.
The most popular post is an opening in the Fubao subdistrict office in Futian, a district that borders Hong Kong, which attracted 244 candidates.
"The position in Futian is so popular because it is convenient for Hong Kong people to commute," Guo said.
Two other posts are in districts that border Hong Kong－in Luohu and Nanshan.
One of those jobs is in the municipal financial supervision and administration bureau and the other is in the human resources and social security bureau.
The trial plan is to encourage young talent from Hong Kong and Macao to participate in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Tao Yitao, director of the China Special Economic Zone Research Center at Shenzhen University, said that as a demonstration pilot zone of socialism with Chinese characteristics, Shenzhen has begun to move from more open policies to more open systems.
To win the job contracts in January, candidates need to stand out in a written test, qualification review, physical test and a face-to-face interview.
"Their salary will be set according to their post and the salary system, which will be the same with their counterparts on the mainland," Guo said.
