Jane Lai

SHENZHEN is undergoing a shortage of medium to first-class financial talent despite a large number of jobseekers, Shenzhen’s first Financial Talent Summit Forum revealed Friday.

Financial and human resource professionals and management representatives of both the press and the city’s financial agency attended the Forum, which was held by the Shenzhen Press Group and the Hexun.com Web site.

The prosperity of Shenzhen’s financial sector, together with the challenging opportunities, brought about by the forthcoming 2008 Olympic Games and the 2011 Universiade, necessitates a great demand for medium to first-class financial talent with comprehensive knowledge rather than routine experience in the financial markets. However, few meet the requirements despite the hustle and bustle of the stock markets creating an illusion that many seem to be professionals.

In 2007, the financial sector, a strategic pillar industry of Shenzhen, realized total profits of as much as 75.7 billion yuan (US$10.7 billion), a huge increase of 229 percent over 2006. Total assets reached 2,800 billion yuan, ranking No. 3 among medium to large cities nationwide. Value adding contributed to approximately 10.6 percent of the city’s GDP, the Shenzhen Financial Office said in an earlier report.

“The Growth Enterprise Market (GEM) that soon will be established in Shenzhen is leading the city again to be a special zone that accumulates capital and fundraising will hopefully be easier for growing enterprises,” He Jia, a leading talent coaching in the United States and China, commented at the Forum.

“This financial forum and the first 2008 Financial Professionals Job Fair on March 29 will receive full support from the Shenzhen Financial Office,” Xiao Zhijia, deputy manager of the office said.