Qingdao FTZ boosts talent attraction with new initiatives

Since January this year, the Qingdao FTZ has been actively attracting talent by launching the Qingdao FTZ Talents Service Card, holding talent symposiums, and establishing the Overseas Talent Entrepreneurial Park, which received an excellence award in the city's talent park performance evaluation.

Photo of the Qingdao FTZ Talents Service Card. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Building an optimal talent development ecosystem
The Qingdao FTZ views talent as a key growth driver and is continually optimizing its talent services. This year, it launched the Qingdao FTZ Talents Service Card to support high-level, international, and young scientific talent.

In 2024, the FTZ added 6,622 new talents, including 1,383 with a master's degree and 80 with a doctoral degree, and allocated 47.23 million yuan ($6.48 million) in talent funds. The zone also hosted the Blue Economy Conference, enhanced its international talent community, and established a maritime talent training base, attracting 210 trainees and 162 top graduates from universities, thus fostering high-quality employment and regional development.

Creating a full life-cycle talent service brand
Over the past 5 years, the Qingdao FTZ has implemented 326 innovative measures , which have helped attract 88 Fortune Global 500 projects and create 120,000 new jobs. By the end of 2024, the zone had hosted an ISO training session focused on the circular economy and ISO 59000 standards.

To optimize the business environment, the zone established the first Talent and Enterprise Comprehensive Service Group in 2023. The zone has built a "Free Trade Talent Pool" of over 30,000 individuals, matching talent with enterprises and driving high-quality regional economic development.

Building bridges for talent communication
Since 2018, the Qingdao Sino-German Ecological Park Talent Park has attracted over 26,000 professionals, including 2,300 master's and doctoral graduates, boosting industries such as integrated circuits and intelligent manufacturing.

The zone integrates talent with industry, creating a comprehensive service brand for entrepreneurial support and employment matching. In 2025, the zone plans to further optimize its talent services and environment, positioning itself as a top destination for talent.