International Talent Layout of Central Enterprises: Analysis of Foreign Staff Recruitment and Integration Practice

Under the background of building a community of human destiny and promoting the deepening of the "the belt and road initiative" initiative, as the core force of China's participation in global competition, central enterprises are accelerating the transformation from local enterprises to multinational groups. From infrastructure projects in Southeast Asia to high-end manufacturing cooperation in Europe, from resource development in Africa to new energy layout in Latin America, foreign talents have become the key support for the globalization strategy of central enterprises. So, whether the central enterprises open recruitment to foreigners? How to realize the effective management of international talents? This paper combines policy guidance and industry practice to reveal the real picture of overseas talent recruitment of central enterprises.

Open 1. policy: Top-level design support for foreign talent recruitment

1. National strategy drives recruitment needs

With the upgrading of the "going out" strategy, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Commerce and other departments have issued many documents to encourage central enterprises to introduce foreign talents in the localized operation of overseas projects. For example, in infrastructure fields such as electricity and transportation, it is clearly required that the localization rate of employees in overseas subsidiaries of central enterprises should reach more than 60%, which directly promotes the surge in demand for foreign jobs in technology and management.

2. Breakthrough in visa and work permit policies

The Bureau of Exit-Entry Administration of China has introduced special visa policies for foreign employees of central enterprises, including:

• "green channel" approval : foreign experts in key overseas projects of central enterprises can apply for 144-hour transit visa exemption or 5-year multiple-entry visa to simplify the material submission process.
• extension of the working permit period : the working permit for foreign executives and core technical personnel of central enterprises can be valid for up to 5 years, and the visa for family members can be applied for at the same time.
• regional pilot innovation : in Hainan free trade port, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macao and other regions, foreign employees of central enterprises can apply for a "work + residence" two-in-one permit to realize "one pass".

3. Preferential salary and tax policies

• Cross-border salary compliance : the Ministry of Finance has made it clear that the salary of foreign employees in central enterprises can be paid according to the "domestic + overseas" dual-track system, and overseas parts refer to local standards, the domestic portion enjoys a special additional deduction for personal income tax.
• tax treaty benefits : China has signed tax treaties with 112 countries, and foreign employees of central enterprises can apply for exemption from double taxation in some countries to reduce comprehensive labor costs.

2. industry practice: typical scenario of foreign recruitment of central enterprises

1. Infrastructure engineering field: localized operation just needs

For highway and bridge projects undertaken by central enterprises such as China Communications Construction and China Power Construction in Southeast Asia and Africa, local engineers, project managers and community coordinators are generally recruited. For example, in a hydropower project in Ethiopia, foreign employees account for 45% of the central enterprise team. Through the "mentoring system", local technical backbones are trained to achieve efficient project delivery.

2. Energy resources: technical cooperation and market development

Joint ventures established by PetroChina and Sinopec in Latin America and the Middle East, long-term recruitment of geological exploration experts, refining engineers and trade negotiators. Take a Sino-Saudi joint venture refining project as an example, Saudi employees account for more than 30%, responsible for process optimization and localized procurement, driving the project cost down by 18%.

3. High-end manufacturing field: global R & D collaboration

R & D centers set up by central enterprises such as CRRC and COMAC in Germany and France, targeted recruitment of mechanical engineers, aerodynamics experts and supply chain management personnel. For example, the German R & D Center of CRRC attracted European engineers through the "project system + flexible work system" and successfully developed 400 km/h cross-border interconnected high-speed rail trains.

4. Finance and trade: cross-border business support

Bank of China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in London, Singapore and other international financial centers, recruitment of foreign exchange traders, risk analysts and compliance officers. The Singapore branch of a Chinese bank has 25% foreign employees and is proficient in Southeast Asian money markets and trade financing rules, helping to increase cross-border business volume by 30% annually.

3. recruitment mode: the path of obtaining foreign talents in central enterprises

1. targeted recruitment and school-enterprise cooperation

• international headhunting cooperation : central enterprises have signed long-term agreements with international headhunting companies such as Hays and Michael Page to tap talents in high-end manufacturing in Europe and the United States and infrastructure in southeast Asia. For example, a central enterprise introduced BMW's former supply chain director through German headhunting to reduce the cost of overseas procurement of auto parts by 15%.
• cooperation with overseas universities : establish "internship + employment" channels with Cambridge University, National University of Singapore, etc., and give priority to the selection of international students majoring in engineering and finance. A central enterprise set up scholarships at Cambridge University to attract graduates to participate in the digital transformation of overseas projects.

2. internal transfer and global competition

• transnational talent pool : establish a global talent database of central enterprises, allowing foreign employees to transfer within the group. For example, China Construction transferred outstanding employees from the Egyptian branch to the Kenya project as the regional procurement manager.
• global competition mechanism : open up middle and high-level positions in headquarters and overseas subsidiaries, and select foreign talents through the mode of "online defense + virtual investigation. A central enterprise selected French engineers as CTO of its South American subsidiary through a global competition.

3. application of digital recruitment platform

• exclusive recruitment system for central enterprises : develop a multilingual recruitment platform to support one-click posting to 50 national sites around the world to realize automatic resume screening and video interview. For example, a central enterprise received more than 300 applications from 12 countries through the system, and finally hired 15 foreign technical experts.
• social media marketing : operate enterprise accounts on platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook, and release a series of videos of "exploring overseas projects of central enterprises" to show the working and living scenes of foreign employees, attracting more than 100000 people's attention.

4. integration management: long-term retention strategy for foreign employees of central enterprises

1. cultural integration and team building

• "double tutor system" training : provide foreign employees with Chinese "cultural tutors" and foreign "business tutors" to carry out cross-cultural communication, policy and regulation training. For example, a central enterprise equipped Brazilian engineers with Chinese tutors to help them pass the HSK level 4 examination within 3 months.
• Internationalized team activities : Organize "Global Culture Week" to show foreign employees' hometown delicacies and traditional costumes, and hold Chinese and Western festivals. The African project team of a central enterprise eliminated the communication barriers between Chinese and African employees through the "cultural salon" activity, and the project promotion efficiency increased by 25%.

2. dual-channel career development

• technical expert route : set up foreign chief engineer, chief scientist and other positions, provide special research funds and international academic exchange opportunities. For example, a central enterprise provides foreign experts with a research fund of 500000 yuan per year to support their participation in international standard setting.
• management promotion channel : it is clear that foreign employees can hold positions such as deputy general manager and regional director of subsidiaries, and be included in the reserve pool of the leadership team of central enterprises. The foreign general manager of an overseas subsidiary of a central enterprise has excellent performance appraisal for 3 consecutive years and has been promoted to the group headquarters.

3. optimization of salary and welfare system

• "localization + globalization" salary package : basic salary refers to the local market level, and performance bonus is linked to project benefits, and provide additional overseas allowances, children's education subsidies. For example, the annual salary of foreign employees in the Middle East project of a central enterprise is 20% higher than that of their local counterparts, and tuition fees for international schools are reimbursed.
• flexible welfare selection : three types of welfare packages of "health management + family care + career development" are provided. foreign employees can choose their own medical examination packages, air tickets to visit relatives back home or training courses. The welfare satisfaction of foreign employees in a central enterprise reached 92%, far exceeding the industry average.

from policy opening to industry practice, from recruitment innovation to integration management, central enterprises are building a global talent ecology with an open attitude. For foreigners, joining a central enterprise not only means participating in world-class projects, but also obtaining comprehensive support for career development, cultural experience and life security. In the future, with the acceleration of the internationalization of central enterprises, the scale of foreign talent recruitment will continue to expand, injecting new momentum into the global talent flow.