The city of Wuhai in North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region recently launched seven preferential policies designed to attract skilled workers to locate in the metropolis, according to local officials.

The policies involve attractive house purchase subsidies, spouse employment, scientific research and innovation support, children’s school enrollments and house rent, they said.

They aim to unblock recruitment channels and break institutional barriers for talent mobility.

Full-time doctoral students who are qualified and meet the urgent needs of Wuhai’s industries,  will be granted a total of 500,000 yuan ($70,610) for in subsidies to buy a house.

Full-time postgraduates and undergraduate graduates from domestic and first-class international universities will be granted a total of 200,000 yuan in house purchase subsidies.

Officials said that certain incentives will also be given to companies that recruit talent from home and abroad.

Meanwhile, installation has started of Wuhai recruitment workstations in other Chinese cities and the assignment of county-level or department-level officials who will be responsible for the recruitment of new employees.

To date, six Wuhai recruitment workstations in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Lanzhou and Hohhot have been established.

Focusing on the city's leading industries, key projects and major engineering work, Wuhai also established the first science and technology innovation center in Inner Mongolia autonomous region at the end of last year.

Officials said that elsewhere, the technology transfer center at Lanzhou University and the academic research teams of academicians Jin Yong, Nan Zhibiao and Wu Qiang have already settled in.

They will carry out technical consultations and offer guidance services on the construction of environmentally friendly mines, geothermal energy developments and utilization and mine water hazard prevention.

In addition, the Wuhai government will guide and support large businesses such as Inner Mongolia Guangna Group and Inner Mongolia Zhiyunda Logistics Technology Co to develop strategic cooperation with Lanzhou University, Dalian University of Technology, Donghua University, Tianjin University and other well-known universities and research institutes.