High profile recruitment for well-paid government employees in Beijing has attracted 40 applicants from home and abroad.

Marking the first such approach to hiring in Beijing, the Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission called for applications for two senior economical officials for the Beijing Olympic Games, with an annual salary of 500,000 yuan (US$60,000) before tax.

The 40 applicants, aged between 22 and 60, include people from China, the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and Belgium.

"We're willing to invite more overseas top-notch professionals to participate in the government operation of the Olympic economy," said Wen Jun, a press official with the commission.

Among the applicants, 16 have doctorate degrees and 34 majored in economy study and business administration, said Wen.

Nearly half of the applicants have study or work experience in foreign countries, and seven were once engaged in research and consultation of Olympic economy and sports industry.

"All these are very important backgrounds for the posts," said Wen.

She said the senior economic officials will assist in policy-making of economic development of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, providing comments and suggestions.

"But the officials have no administrative title during their employment, and there are no incentives such as housing accommodation, medical and transport subsidies," said Wen.

Zhang Zude, vice-director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Personnel, said "government employees" are different from civil servants who usually work for the government for their entire working life.

"They sign contracts with the government to fulfil certain projects, provide consultation and technical support when carrying out administrative functions, and their payments are usually much higher than civil servants," said Zhang.

He said the development and reform commission and his bureau already did some headhunting in Hong Kong during the eighth Beijing-Hong Kong Economic Co-operation Symposium on September 2 and 3, which attracted much attention from professionals there.

Wen said the employment contracts of senior economic officials is one year long and may be extended.

People who are interested in the posts may visit the commission website at www.bjpc.gov.cn for further information and the deadline for application is September 30.

(China Daily September 22, 2004)