China's Ministry of Personnel has issued new rules to standardize and improve the operation of the increasing number of public and private employment agencies.

The opinions on speeding the development of human resources market sets out the goal as fostering more effectively human resources markets nationwide under the guidance of the government that are fairer, more transparent, standardized and in accordance with the law.

Efforts will be made to remove barriers so as to facilitate the free flow of skilled people and workers between rural and urban areas, and between trades and regions, according to the regulation.

The country will also annul local administrative rules that could possibly hinder fair competition among job applicants by setting discriminatory barriers such as residence and education.

To date, 28 state-level agencies and more than 4,000 public or private employment agencies have been established across the country since 1983. Over 1,100 job websites and over 20,000 job databases have been created.

(China Daily March 1, 2004)