Baotou in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region has issued new policies aimed at improving its flexible talent introduction mechanisms and strengthening talent recruitment, according to local media reports. 

According to the head of the office of the Baotou municipal talent work coordination group, the flexible introduction of talent as mentioned in the measures refers to high-level people. They will work in Baotou and serve the city in various capacities, including as consultants, in temporary positions and in part-time roles – or as technical consultants and in post-retirement employment. This will be without changes to their standing outside the city – or overseas – in terms of their current personnel, files, household registration and social security status. The working period in Baotou should be not less than three months, annually. For urgently needed talent, the requirement can be relaxed to no less than two months on a yearly basis.

Focusing on key industrial fields such as new materials, modern energy, modern equipment manufacturing, agriculture and the livestock industry, the new measures target the introduction of urgently needed talents in various key economic and social fields in Baotou city.

As part of the move, Baotou is supporting employers to set up "talent enclaves" and flexibly introduce urgently-needed talents.

High-level talents hired full-time by R&D centers set up outside Baotou city by Baotou employers, and high-level talents from home and abroad hired full-time by offshore innovation and entrepreneurship bases including R&D bases, open laboratories, technology incubators, and technology transfer centers established outside the city, can apply for a number of assistance mechanisms in Baotou city.

Those who have made major contributions may apply for participation in the autonomous region-level "Grassland Talents" project.

Baotou will provide financial support for high-level flexible talent introduction projects.

For companies, universities, and research institutes that flexibly introduce talents, employers will be subsidized according to 30 percent of their tax-paid labor remuneration in the previous year (the maximum subsidy for the same person will not be more than 100,000 yuan, or $15,470).

Baotou city will also solve the problems that arise during the mutual recognition of qualifications and professional title evaluations for the flexible introduction of talents. Those talents who are introduced "flexibly" can take a professional (practice) qualification examination in Baotou city in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.

The new policies are valid from March 3, 2021 to Dec 31, 2025.