Recruiting in China

MORE than 70 applicants have signed up for a training program to become professional social workers on a course run by the Labor and Social Security Bureau in Pudong New Area.

Lessons to teach basic knowledge of population and family planning kicked off last week, as part of the long-term program.

About 60 people signed up for the class, but organizers were surprised to find more than 70 joined the course.

"The course is designed to train professionals who can offer counseling services related to population and family planning," said Ji Zhongxian, a bureau official.

The training program, which will hold six classes over 10 days, will focus on introducing theories and concepts that a social worker should know.

Another training class designed for directors of residents' committees will also open soon - attracting more than 500 applicants so far.

The proactive approach focuses on theories and practical skills to solve problems, such as how to settle disputes among residents.

"Social work in Shanghai is still in its infancy and there are very few professional social workers at present," said Zhang Linqiang, bureau spokesman.

Zhang added that there are 20,000 professional social workers in Hong Kong, which has a population of six million. There are only 3,000 professionals in Shanghai, which has a population of 18 million.

"Pudong New Area developed social work as early in the 1990s, but among 60,000 social workers in this area, only about 250 people have obtained the certificate of professional social workers," Zhang said.

HONG KONG, May 23, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- China Career Builder Corp., ("The Company") (Pink Sheets:CCBX) a Delaware Corporation, is focused on outsourcing human resource services and staffing services in Hong Kong, China. The company is pleased to announce Asian Career Company Ltd. has signed an additional strategic agreement with Monster.com Asia Pacific Ltd., a division of Monster Worldwide Inc. Under the terms and agreement, Asian Career Company Ltd. will gain accesses to Monster.com registered users for the following regions, which including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.

"We had a good start to the year in each of our businesses and continue to move forward to reach our goals. We are expecting continue to sign and formation strategic alliance in human resource and staffing services sector throughout Hong Kong and China. The level of activity in human resource and staffing service sector remains very strong, so we are optimistic about our continued progress and maintaining our leadership position in this emerging market," said Mona Yim, President and CEO of China Career Builder Corp.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

China Career Builder Corp. ("The Company") through its subsidiary, Asian Career Company Ltd. provides outsourcing human resource services and staffing services in Hong Kong, China. The company provides recruitment services focusing on the professional, management, clerical, administrative, IT and industrial market. Its services include screening, recruiting, training, workforce deployment, loss prevention and safety training, pre-employment testing and assessment, background searches, compensation program design, customized personnel management reports, job profiling, description, application, turnover tracking and analysis, opinion surveys and follow-up analysis, exit interviews and follow-up analysis, and management development skills workshops. The company markets its recruitment services through a combination of direct sales, telemarketing, trade shows, and advertising. The company is incorporated in Delaware, and headquartered in Hong Kong, China.

For further information please refer to the Company's website at www.ChinaCareerBuilder.com

If you would like to receive regular updates on China Career Builder Corp. please send your email request to info@ChinaCareerBuilder.com or contact the company's Investor and Public relations at ir@ChinaCareerBuilder.com .

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT

Certain of the statements set forth in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate, or imply future results, performance or achievements, and may contain the words "estimate," "project," "intend," "forecast," "anticipate," "plan," "planning," "expect," "believe," "will likely," "should," "could," "would," "may" or words or expressions of similar meaning. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the company's actual results and financial position to differ materially from those included within the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including those relating to the Company's ability to grow its business. Actual results may differ materially from the results predicted and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, the Company's limited financial resources, domestic or global economic conditions -- especially those relating to China, activities of competitors and the presence of new or additional competition, and changes in Federal or State laws, restrictions and regulations on doing business in a foreign country, in particular China, and conditions of equity markets. The Company disclaims any obligation subsequently to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statement or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events.

THE search is on for people with vocational skills to enter a citywide contest next year covering 180 professions, ranging from car repairs to Web-page design.

Ninety-six winners of last year's contest stepped up yesterday to receive their awards, according to the Shanghai Labor and Social Security Bureau.

Nearly 9,000 people signed up to take part in last year's contest, including digital machine operators, fashion designers and hairdressers.

"About 80 percent of the participants were workers in enterprises, and most of them are working in the front line," said Zhu Yanmin, an official in the Shanghai Vocational Skill Testing Center, which sponsored the contest.

"But there is a trend for more university students to take part in the contest, as they realize the importance of raising their vocational abilities," Zhu said.

Nearly 4,000 participants who were identified as qualified in the contest have been granted professional qualification certificates by the Shanghai Labor and Social Security Bureau, without having to sit a qualification exam.

Xuhui District won the gold medal yesterday for organizing 1,191 participants, with 14 people making the top three places in the contest's final round.

Workers in enterprises, students and the unemployed in the city can sign up for the competition.

"We also encourage foreigners in the city to participate in the contest, but there were none having yet registered," said Zhu.

Participants can sign up for next year's preliminary contest at their local vocational training centers.

With the approach of the 17th National Disabled Day, Jiang Xipei, chairman of Far East Holding Group, has announced that his company would unite with five private firms to set up a charity to promote employment opportunities for China's 83 million handicapped people.

The first batch of firms that have joined the fund include Yurun Group, Hongdou Holding, LAD Group, Yuexing Group, Eastide Group and Fast East Holding Group. Named the Far East Fund, it is one of the largest non-government sponsored charity funds to provide employment opportunities for disabled people. The money they raise will be used to sponsor projects which provide job training and services for handicapped people, and to give awards to outstanding handicapped people and to people who have done a lot to help the handicapped in China.

China has 83 million handicapped people but only 23 million are employed. Around 9 million employable handicapped people have no jobs, and their number increases by 300,000 a year.

Local media reports the Far East Fund has raised more than RMB100 million to date and expects to garner another RMB100 million within a year.

CHINA'S foreign direct investments jumped 10.2 percent in the first four months of this year, as the nation's lower costs and market attracted a steady inflow of funds.

The amount of FDI totalled US$20.4 billion from January to April, the Ministry of Commerce told a press conference in Beijing yesterday. April saw a FDI flow of US$4.5 billion, up 5.5 percent from a year ago, the ministry said.

"Foreign direct investments into China have kept steady since last year as the nation shifted its focus to the quality instead of quantity of foreign funds (investments)," said Liang Futao, an analyst with Shenyin & Wanguo Securities Consulting Co.

He said the monthly FDI is around US$5.2 billion on average.

Investors are now being encouraged to pump investments to other sectors, including high-end manufacturing, research and development, services, agriculture and environment protection, Li Zhiqun, an official with the foreign investment department of the ministry, said earlier this year.

China's continuous opening-up, a booming consumer market and lower costs continue to serve as magnets for foreign investments, even if the government has curbed funds heading to industries with high pollution, low energy efficiency and lower added value, industry officials have said.

Intel Corp, for instance, will spend US$2.5 billion to build its first computer-chip plant in China's Dalian in Liaoning Province in the northeast, its first in Asia too, the US chip maker said earlier this year.

Caterpillar Inc, the world's largest maker of earthmoving equipment, also opened a plant in eastern China's Jiangsu Province.

Foreign-invested companies had more than 300,000 factories in China by the end of 2006, according to a report this month by HSBC Holdings Plc.

The second round of Sino-US strategic economic talks, set for next week, is expected to benefit long-term investment relationship between the two nations as topics of market opening and others will be addressed, Liang said.

Rising FDI also fueled the nation's record foreign exchange reserves which have topped US$1.2 trillion, more than a fifth of the world's total, industry officials said.

China's FDI rose 4.5 percent last year to a record US$63 billion, according to the ministry.

Total FDI has surpassed US$700 billion since China accepted funds from overseas investors, Commerce Minister Bo Xilai said in March.

BEIJING (XFN-ASIA) - China's proposed employment contract law has created growing feelings of uncertainty and pessimism among foreign-invested enterprises, according to a survey conducted by law firm Baker & McKenzie and HR consultants Hewitt Associates .

The draft legislation was submitted to the National People's Congress this week for its third and final reading but the survey found that the majority of respondents had a negative view of the new law.

'Almost no company expects an overall positive impact,' said Susan Derkach, senior consultant at Hewitt Associates, Beijing.

'Over one-half of participants believe that when implemented, the new labor contract law will have a negative or very negative impact on their daily business,' Derkach said.

After he first draft of the law was published last year it prompted 191,000 comments from the public to the government.

This prompted amendments to the second version including changes, such as an increased emphasis on open-term contracts, non-compete and confidentially agreements, training contracts and probationary periods, restrictions on fixed-term contracts, more specific definitions and limitations concerning mass-layoffs.

'Overall, there seems to be a great degree of uncertainty among the participants about the potential implications of the new law on their companies. Similarly, the majority of participants do not seem to be sure how they should prepare for passage of the law,' Derkach said.

'We believe that companies should aggressively pursue the following three actions: a comprehensive review and redrafting of the work force planning process and strategy; a comprehensive audit and redesign of all HR policies, manuals, collective agreements and employment contracts; strategic decisions on employee representation and collective bargaining,' she said.

The new law is expected to take effect from Jan 1, 2008, but implementing it will challenge most companies, other experts said.

'The law as it stands is very opaque and it is unclear as to how it will actually be implemented,' said Andreas Lauffs, head of the employment group at Baker & McKenzie, Hong Kong.

'So far there has been no mention of grandfathering or of any transition period,' Lauffs said.

Further concerns of respondents to the survey related to trade unions and employee representation.

'This could be an issue in the face of recent moves by China's trade federation to unionize some high-profile multinationals,' Lauffs said.

Both McDonald's and KFC recently came under pressure from the state-controlled All China Federation of Trade Unions to cooperate with the formation of unions in their outlets.

The survey showed that almost half of the 436 participants have no employee representation while 89 pct are not covered by a company or industry collective agreement.

'Only a small number of companies seem to have specific plans to address the potential new requirement to negotiate a collective agreement with their workforce,' Susan Derkach said.

Those surveyed included wholly owned foreign enterprises, join ventures, representative offices, non state-owned enterprises and state-owned enterprises.