Shenzhen opened the country's first expatriates' job management office Friday, the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported Saturday.

The management office, previously known as the expatriates' job service center, is now a government administration to manage and issue work permits for expatriates legally allowed to work in the city. For work visas, foreigners still need to go to the municipal public security bureau with a letter of invitation.

Around 15,000 foreigners as well as Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao residents working in the city are registered with the city government while a further 33,000 Chinese citizens work for representative offices of foreign firms in Shenzhen.

Li Yu, office director, said the number of expatriates working in Shenzhen and taking on a larger variety of jobs could rise sharply in the near future.

"With foreigners in Shenzhen from more than 100 countries and regions, we will beef up management in cooperation with the police against illegal employment," the official said.

(Shenzhen Daily May 14, 2007)