Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao residents working in Shenzhen will soon be covered by social security starting Oct. 1, according to the local labor and social security bureau Wednesday.

Its implementation would bring the rights and responsibilities for people from the three areas in line with the rest of the city's Chinese non-hukou residents, the bureau said.

This is a newly added term in the latest national rules for the administration of employment of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao residents working on the mainland.

"The move reflects the equal treatment for all employees working on the mainland. They will feel more secure when they are ill or plan to retire here," said an official from the local labor and social security bureau.

Shenzhen workers from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao will enjoy the same treatments as their colleagues without Shenzhen hukou in medicare, pension, work injury and unemployment, according to the bureau.

People with hukou and non-hukou residents in Shenzhen have different levels of medicare. Employers pay 8 percent of the previous month's salary to the medicare scheme for each employee with hukou, while they only have to pay 0.8 percent of a non-hukou employee's salary into the scheme. There is only 1 percent difference in work injury and unemployment insurance payment by employers.

The new rules also loosen restrictions for Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao residents who want to work on the mainland.

Previously the mainland enterprises and institutions could only hire Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao residents if the posts were in urgent need and they could not find suitable candidates from other inland areas within three weeks after a public recruitment. People can dial 96888 for detailed information.

(Shenzhen Daily July 21, 2005)