Shanghai plans to recruit 2,000 overseas Chinese professionals from the United States and Canada for its high-end sectors, including education, scientific research, information technology and biological medicine, Oriental Morning Post reported today.

Shanghai Personnel Bureau will hold recruitment meetings in San Francisco on September 9, New York on September 16 and Toronto on September 17, with more than 2,000 vacancies offered by 27 companies and institutions.

The institutions include Tongji University; East China Normal University; East China University of Science and Technology; Pudong Personnel Bureau; and Jiading Personnel Bureau and Xuhui Personnel Bureau. The companies include Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (Group), Shanghai Electric Group Co and Shanghai Xian Dai Architectural Design (Group) Co.

Another 136 companies have also consigned with the bureau to recruit professionals in finance and trade, logistics, medicine research, education and medical institutions.

Recruited talents will work at senior levels, such as general manager, vice manager and senior analyst.

In August 2003, the city launched a campaign to attract 10,000 overseas Chinese to work and live in the city within three years.

By the end of November, 2005, the city realized its plan to lure 10,203 overseas Chinese back from 110 countries and regions to work in the city. Most returned from developed countries such as the United States, Britain or Japan.

Preferential policies have helped lure overseas Chinese back to the city. For example, those who open their own business in the city can get subsidies from the government.

Starting this year, children of returned overseas Chinese are allowed to enter Shanghai's universities as a local.

The bureau will also establish three more overseas offices — in the United States, Canada and Russia — this year to facilitate applications.

(Shanghai Daily September 1, 2006)