With the new year fast approaching, many workers might also be thinking about a fresh start. Perhaps that's why the handful of job fairs in Beijing this weekend are attracting such a good turn-out, reported CCTV.com Sunday.

Pople were lining up in front of the Beijing International Exhibition Center on an Early Saturday morning, eager to find out what career opportunities were on offer at the job fair inside. Many of them young, their faces showed both anxiety and hope.

A job hunter said, "I'm looking for a job with a monthly salary of around 2,000 yuan. But more importantly, I want something that will offer me opportunities and allow me to develop my potential. "

Another job hunter said, "If I had to chose between money and opportunities, I would chose opportunities."

These job hunters may be young, but China's job market is now becoming more and more mature. Salary grades are increasingly stable and the process of finding a job has become more standardized.

With more university graduates on the market, starting salaries are lower. But opportunities have grown, and most companies offer good prospects in return for hard work.

But some experts are saying that China's job market lacks top-end talents.

Director of HR Department of China Remin University Wen Yueran said, "Rapid economic development, the continuing influence by the old structure of the work force and the relatively slow cultivation of top-level talents, are the main reasons for the lack in the kind of highly-trained, highly-experienced people we need."

Analysts say the demand on the job market is the highest for senior public administrators, business managers and academics with international insights.

(CCTV.com November 22, 2004)