President Hu Jintao has called for the creation of a more competitive and innovative workforce in the country, with the focus on training more top-notch specialists.

At a central work conference on human resources in Beijing from Tuesday to Wednesday, President Hu Jintao said human resources were essential to the development of the Party and the state, and the quality of China's workforce was still poor compared to that of developed countries.

China would enhance its workforce's strength, and the fostering of high-caliber professionals would be a priority, Hu said in a statement released after the meeting.

He said China would work to have a large high-quality workforce and to be a strong world power in terms of human resources by 2020.

Party committees and governments at all levels must create an environment where talent can emerge and be put to use, he said.

He also said innovation would be fully encouraged and supported by the government, and it was a strategic task to foster young talents.

At the conference, Premier Wen Jiabao pledged more support to high-caliber creative specialists that are urgently needed in China.

The government would encourage and help them and overseas Chinese students find employment or start up businesses in China, he said.

Wen said China would increase its funding for the training and education of high-caliber specialists, with investments coming from the government, individuals, enterprises and social organizations.

Vice-President Xi Jinping said the government would promptly introduce major human resource programs to help realize the national goal.

All members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee attended the conference.