Shanghai is recruiting more than 500 recent college graduates to work in local rural areas as teachers, doctors and government officials to aid social development, the Shanghai Personnel Bureau announced yesterday.

The graduates will be dispatched to the city's 10 less-developed suburban districts such as Nanhui, Qingpu, Fengxian, and Chongming County for at least two years.

Each applicant that passes an academic test and a physical check will be granted a living allowance of 1,790 yuan (US$224) each month, plus an annual government bonus of 7,000 yuan to 18,800 yuan.

That puts their monthly income at 2,000 yuan or more in the first year -- higher than the city average for new college graduates.

"We offer a favorable package to make the rural positions an attractive choice for graduates struggling in the fierce job market," said Chen Hao, the personnel bureau's vice director.

He added that the bureau was also building a talent database to track elite graduates with the hopes of enticing them into a career as senior civil servants.

The bureau doesn't guarantee the graduates a job after their rural service ends, officials said.

Last year, the bureau posted 500 similar medical, teaching and government administration positions in rural areas.

However, only 259 positions were filled due to a shortage of qualified applicants, especially in the medical sector.

Bureau officials said they were not sure if all the positions would be filled this year.

(Shanghai Daily April 11, 2007)