Smog-stricken China woos meteorological talents

An official from China's meteorological authority said Friday the smog-stricken country needs more professional talents in the environmental and meteorological fields.

Yu Yubin, deputy head of the Personnel Department of the China Meteorological Administration, made the statement at a job fair held in Nanjing city in China's Jiangsu province, Xinhua reported.

At the job fair, 165 meteorological departments across the country offered 1,788 posts related to atmospheric sciences, remote sensing applications and geoscience to college graduates.

Three forecast and warning centres on environment and meteorology in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze river delta and Pearl river delta, which are among the worst-hit regions by smog, also kicked off their first round of recruitment since they were established, said Yu.

"Smog has an enormous impact on society and people's lives. We need more professional talents in the areas of weather forecasting and air pollution control," said Wang Yan, an official with the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau.

The Xinjiang Meteorological Bureau plans to recruit 73 people this year. The bureau received 60 resumes Friday morning, but nearly 80 percent were from people within the region, and "high-level talents are still lacking".

Yu pointed out that grassroots departments and meteorological agencies in central and western parts of China have the most demand for talents.

"More than 40 percent of meteorological stations in the country have harsh conditions. But the government provides graduates who choose these places more training and promotion opportunities," he added.