Rational Talents System DesiredWith the implementation of the west development strategy, many of the local governments in the western region have jumped on the bandwagon to attract outside talents. A spate of preferential policies have been introduced to encourage professionals to go west.Ironically, it is reported that since 1997, State-owned enterprises and institutions in the western region employ more than 3 million professionals, about 21 per cent of the nation's total. However, due to irrational allocation of human resources, the potentials of this highly skilled work force are not being fully tapped. In the vast western region, where rural areas are suffering a lack of professionals, the institutions and enterprises in big cities are overflowing with specialists and technicians. Xi'an, capital city of Shaanxi Province, alone boasts half the total intellectual elites and professionals within the province. The absurd concentration of talents in big cities have led to the overmanning in administrative departments, while in sharp contrast, the manufacturing sector is suffering a severe shortage of technicians. Such abnormal distribution of talents in the region is deeply rooted in the traditional personnel system under which promotion is given to seniority and equal pay prevails and contributes to migration of educated workers to the more developed east. Institutional problems demand institutional reforms. |
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