According to the newly unveiled National Medium- and Long-term Talent Development Plan (2010-2020), non-public economic groups and social organizations can enjoy equal treatment in government policy on the training, attracting, appraisal, and use of talents.

Specialists in the private sector should be incorporated into talent development projects of various governments, the document said.

They can have "equal access to public resources including funds, projects and information for supporting innovation and starting businesses," the document also said.

The national plan, a blueprint for creating a highly skilled national work force over the next decade, aims to transform the country from being "labor-rich to talent-intensive."

Zhang Lihua, professor with the Labor and Human Resources School at the Beijing-based Renmin University of China, said, "The non state-owned economic institutions and new social organizations are playing a more important role in China`s economic and social development."

"It`s becoming more important for talents in these sectors to compete equally with others in the public sector," she said.

At present, more than 70 percent of China`s companies are privately-owned and generate more than 60 percent of the country`s GDP.

China has more than 400,000 "new social organizations," including social groups, foundations, and other non-profit and non-governmental organizations, according to figures from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

There are still many obstacles to personnel movement in government departments, government-sponsored institutions, state-owned enterprises and private companies in China.

For example, a person who works in a private company cannot usually land a job easily in a government department or a state-owned company.

"This is why many college graduates prefer to work for government departments and state-owned companies right after their graduation," Zhang said.

"If the new policies of equal treatment are carried out, they can remove the obstacles, help with the free flow and allocation of resources and high-calibre talents," she said.

"It will support economic development in the private sector and promote technological innovation and the diffusion of knowledge."

Xiao Mingzheng, director of the Human Resource Development and Management Research Center at Peking University, said, "Demand for talents has increased greatly as China witnesses a boom in non-public economic and social organizations."

"To create a more open and equal environment for personnel employment, the policies will certainly help the non-public sector attract and train various kinds of talents," he said.