Last updated: November 2, 2026
China job sites to compare include BOSS Zhipin, 51job, Zhaopin, Liepin and Maimai. The best fit depends on the role, city, candidate audience and your team’s capacity to screen and respond; the table below compares employer use rather than ranking platforms by an unverified hiring-success claim.
Use a job board for direct access to applicants, an agency for an active specialist or confidential search, and an appropriate EOR arrangement when you need a legal employing structure. A staffing agency vs recruitment agency comparison helps distinguish candidate sourcing from workforce supply. This guide focuses on selecting job sites; detailed recruitment delivery belongs with the service provider.
Recruitment channels in China at a glance
The right channel depends on whether the employer needs candidate access, active search, temporary workforce supply or a local employing structure.
| Channel | What it primarily does | Best suited for | Who employs the successful candidate? | Main watchpoint |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Job site or recruitment platform | Publishes vacancies, provides candidate search tools and generates inbound applications. | Employers with local recruiters, clear job descriptions and enough volume to manage screening directly. | The employer’s China entity or another approved employing entity. | The employer owns posting quality, applicant response, screening and the employment handoff. |
| Recruitment agency | Sources, approaches, screens and shortlists candidates for permanent placement. | Specialist, bilingual, hard-to-fill or time-sensitive roles. | The client or another employing entity after placement. | Define fees, candidate ownership, duplicate introductions and replacement terms. |
| Executive search firm | Maps the market and proactively approaches senior or confidential candidates. | Leadership, highly specialized and confidential searches. | The client or another employing entity after placement. | Retainer stages, research scope, off-limits rules and reporting should be clear. |
| Staffing firm or labor-dispatch provider | May employ workers and assign them to perform services for a user company. | Qualifying temporary, auxiliary or substitute positions and other legally supportable staffing needs. | The staffing or dispatch provider where a labor-dispatch model applies. | The marketing label does not determine legality; role eligibility, licensing and workforce limits must be checked. |
| Employer of Record | Provides a local legal-employer structure, payroll and statutory administration. | A foreign company that has selected a genuine employee but lacks a suitable China employing entity. | The EOR’s local entity. | An EOR is an employment solution, not automatically a candidate-sourcing service. |
Best China job sites compared
Role fit below is an editorial selection starting point based on the platforms’ public services, not a guaranteed candidate level or an exclusive audience. Public pages reviewed are principally Chinese. A public English page, international business offering or returnee channel does not establish that every mainland employer function has an English interface; confirm the exact recruiter product in a demonstration.
| Platform | Roles / level to test | Charging model | Employer verification / business license | English interface | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOSS Zhipin | Direct communication across professional, technical, sales, operations and service roles | The official help distinguishes unpaid ordinary/preferred postings and paid job types; current credits, privileges and price depend on the order | Use the official employer account and complete identity/company checks; request its current accepted business-license and authorization checklist before purchase | Public pages reviewed are Chinese; full recruiter English workflow needs confirmation | November 2, 2026 |
| 51job | Broad employer-managed recruitment, including multiple professional/administrative roles | Paid recruitment services and packages; confirm posting, database, seats and term in the quotation | Official employer rules cover business-license/approved-establishment documents, representative identity and authorization checks | Employer-product English availability needs confirmation; English job titles alone do not prove it | November 2, 2026 |
| Zhaopin | Broad hiring, campus and industry-specific searches; test the actual local pool | Obtain the current employer-product quotation and exact included access; no standard package price is assumed | Use its official enterprise registration; confirm current entity documents and recruiter authorization requirements | Public pages reviewed are Chinese; exact employer-product English support needs confirmation | November 2, 2026 |
| Liepin | Professional and specialist searches, including mid/senior roles and headhunter-supported sourcing | Distinguish employer tools from a separately contracted headhunter/search engagement; obtain the applicable quote | Confirm the current enterprise/recruiter verification and accepted entity-document route with the provider | Public pages reviewed are Chinese; confirm the purchased recruiter product and language support | November 2, 2026 |
| Maimai | Professional-network sourcing, referrals and employer-brand activity; test specialist and experienced audiences | Business talent services; confirm the commercial product, posting rights and quotation | Official certification terms allow one or more supporting documents such as company email, work badge, contract or business license depending on certification type; not one universal document list | Public pages reviewed are Chinese; recruiter English workflow needs confirmation | November 2, 2026 |
Before paying, confirm the platform’s current accepted employer entity, business documents, recruiter authority, renewal terms and export/data permissions. Verification requirements and product access can change. The existence of a phone-number registration screen does not by itself mean an overseas company is approved to publish mainland jobs.
Start with the hiring problem, not the platform name
Employers often begin by asking which China job site is “best.” A better question is what must happen between the approved vacancy and the employee’s lawful start date.
- Need a broad active-applicant pool: use one or more job sites and manage applications internally.
- Need passive or specialist talent: use a recruitment agency, headhunter or targeted direct search.
- Need a confidential senior hire: use retained or clearly scoped executive search.
- Need several recurring roles: combine job sites, referrals and project or recruitment-process support.
- Need qualifying temporary workers: assess a compliant staffing or labor-dispatch model.
- Need to employ a selected candidate without a China entity: pair recruitment with an EOR structure.
The role, city, industry, seniority, language requirements, compensation, employer entity and start-date pressure should be agreed before a channel is purchased. A poorly defined vacancy will not become easier to fill merely because it appears on more platforms.
When should an employer use job sites in China?
Job sites work best when the employer can write a localized job description, respond quickly, screen applicants in Chinese where needed and manage interview scheduling. They can be efficient for recurring, visible or moderately broad roles, but they do not replace recruiter capacity.
A self-managed platform strategy is usually a stronger fit when:
- the employer expects a meaningful active-candidate pool;
- the role and salary range are already approved;
- the company can verify an employer account and authorize local recruiters;
- HR can review applications and respond promptly;
- the role is not highly confidential; and
- the company already knows which entity will employ the successful candidate.
Current job-site examples for employers
Use the comparison table above to shortlist channels for the actual city, role and employer-account setup. Check the official employer product before buying; do not treat a general platform name as a promise about candidate response or account eligibility.
Is LinkedIn useful for hiring in China?
LinkedIn’s official discontinuation FAQ states that InCareer ended on August 9, 2023, and its talent products no longer support contacting or recruiting talent based on mainland China through that local service. Its international talent products serve a different use case, so do not treat the closed local jobs app as another active mainland job board. Read LinkedIn in China before choosing the channel.
Job portals for foreign and bilingual candidates
For an English-language audience, eChinacities’ public jobs pages provide an additional channel to evaluate alongside role-specific agencies, referrals and the domestic platforms. Check current posting terms, candidate eligibility and sponsorship requirements separately; a site’s “foreigners” or “returnees” category does not itself establish permission to work in China.
Limitations of job sites
A job site may produce applicants without producing a qualified shortlist. Common reasons include an unrealistic salary, an unfamiliar company brand, a job title that does not match local search behavior, a slow interview process or criteria that exclude most of the available market.
Job sites are also weaker when the desired candidates are not actively applying, the hire must remain confidential, the role requires scarce industry knowledge or headquarters cannot screen Chinese-language profiles. In those cases, active search is usually more important than additional posting volume.
Can a foreign company post on Chinese job sites without a local entity?
Do not assume an overseas registration alone meets a mainland platform’s employer-verification requirements. For example, 51job’s official rules require employer qualification and representative checks. Ask the selected platform which documents and account type it accepts for the actual employing or recruiting entity; do not borrow another company’s license or misstate who will employ the candidate.
Where direct posting is not available, a properly licensed recruitment service provider can source through the appropriate service-account route, and an eligible EOR arrangement can supply the lawful local employment structure. Recruitment authorization, platform approval and legal employment are separate requirements. The 2025-dated joint notice published in 2026 restricts an employer’s self-recruitment account to that employer and its branches; using a provider must follow the correct account classification.
When should an employer use a recruitment agency or headhunter?
Move from self-managed job boards to active search when the position is specialist or senior, confidentiality limits public advertising, or the internal team cannot source and screen fast enough. Agree the role, approved compensation, shortlist criteria and interview authority before commissioning the search.
The agency comparison above separates permanent placement from staffing; the actual provider must verify its contracting entity, appropriate human-resources service license and service scope under the Human Resources Market Interim Regulations. Agency process and delivery detail should be agreed with the recruitment team rather than inferred from job-board access.
Recruitment fees and timing
There is no single statutory recruitment fee or guaranteed hiring timeline. Commercial terms depend on the channel, role, city, seniority, scarcity, search model and employer responsiveness.
| Model | Typical commercial structure | Timing pattern | What the employer should define |
|---|---|---|---|
| Job site | Subscription, posting package, candidate-database access, promoted listing or campaign fee. | The search can launch after account verification and posting approval, but screening remains employer-managed. | Number and duration of postings, database access, recruiter seats, renewal, unused credits and support. |
| Contingency recruitment | A success fee is payable when a defined hiring event occurs, often calculated from an agreed compensation base. | Search and shortlist timing depends on role difficulty, brief quality, market response and interview speed. | Fee base, fee trigger, candidate ownership, guarantee, duplicate introductions, taxes and invoice date. |
| Retained or executive search | Staged retainers or milestone payments, sometimes with a final completion fee. | Usually includes market mapping and a staged search rather than immediate CV delivery. | Research scope, milestones, exclusivity, off-limits rules, reporting, completion and cancellation. |
| Project recruitment or RPO support | Fixed project, monthly, recruiter-capacity or hybrid fee. | Designed for recurring or multiple roles over an agreed project period. | Role volume, recruiter capacity, service levels, systems, data ownership and out-of-scope work. |
| Staffing or labor dispatch | Worker pay and benefits, statutory employer costs and a service or management fee. | Availability may be faster where a suitable worker pool exists, but the legal model must be approved before assignment. | Legal employer, role eligibility, worker cost, service fee, insurance, supervision, replacement and exit. |
| EOR | Employee salary, statutory employer costs, agreed benefits, service fee and any stated setup, deposit or additional charges. | Begins after the candidate and employment structure are approved; onboarding timing depends on documents and local setup. | Employment scope, funding, approvals, payroll, data, benefits, termination and whether recruitment is separately included. |
For agency fees, the contract should state whether the base is fixed annual salary, guaranteed cash, target cash, total compensation or another amount. It should also state whether the quote includes taxes, what happens if the compensation changes, and when the fee becomes payable—for example, on offer acceptance, contract signature or the candidate’s start date.
Employers can improve timing by approving the salary range before launch, limiting unnecessary interviews, giving consolidated feedback and assigning one person authority to move the candidate to the next stage. HROne’s China salary guide explains how city, industry, seniority and total employer cost affect pre-hire benchmarking.
Indicative recruitment fees (as of November 2, 2026)
| Channel / example | Charging basis | Public reference / range | Source and scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| HROne recruitment | Percentage of annual salary | Public price card: 20% of annual salary; exact quote still required | HROne recruitment fees; confirm the salary base, taxes, fee trigger and replacement terms in the actual proposal |
| BOSS direct-headhunting product | Different delivery milestones, not a job-board subscription | Published starting points: RMB 1,500+ for interview delivery and RMB 20,000+ for start-of-employment delivery | BOSS direct-headhunting product page; product-specific minima, not a typical market-wide headhunter range |
| Employer job-board access | Product / posting / database / paid feature quotation | Confirm current package; no verified common monetary range stated | BOSS official help and 51job employer rules; paid tools and the purchased package are distinct from a placement fee |
| Other agency, retained search or RPO | Contract-specific success fee, staged retainer or project structure | Obtain a current written quote; no unsupported market percentage range stated | Check provider quotation, compensation base, service scope, tax and payment trigger |
These public references were checked on November 2, 2026. They are not a quote for a particular search, a claim that all channels include replacement support, or a guarantee of shortlist timing. Separate sourcing fees from EOR employment costs and candidate salary.
Candidate ownership: what should the contract say?
Candidate ownership is mainly a commercial contract issue. It determines when an agency may claim a fee after introducing a person, including when the employer already knew the candidate or hires them later, through another group entity or into a different role.
The employer and agency should agree the following before profiles are exchanged:
- Valid introduction: what information must be provided for an introduction to count.
- Ownership period: how long the agency’s fee claim remains active after introduction.
- Prior contact: the evidence and deadline for the employer to show that the candidate was already in its process.
- Duplicate introductions: which source has priority when several agencies submit the same person.
- Group and affiliate hiring: whether a hire by a parent, subsidiary, EOR or related entity triggers the fee.
- Alternative role: whether the fee applies if the candidate is hired into a different vacancy.
- Reintroduction: what happens if an inactive candidate is approached again after the original ownership period.
- Direct application: how the parties treat a candidate who later applies through a job site or referral channel.
- Replacement or refund: the conditions, time period and exclusions if the hire leaves early.
- Evidence and dispute route: which applicant-tracking record, email or timestamp controls.
Use one internal source-of-record for every candidate. HR should log the first valid source, date, recruiter, role, consent status, interview activity and final outcome. This reduces fee disputes and prevents several recruiters from contacting the same person with inconsistent messages.
When should an employer use a staffing firm?
“Staffing firm” can describe several services. If the provider hires employees and assigns them to work for another company, the arrangement may fall within China’s labor-dispatch rules regardless of the English marketing label.
Under the Interim Provisions on Labor Dispatch, dispatch is intended for temporary, auxiliary or substitute positions. The provisions also generally limit dispatched workers to 10% of the user company’s total workforce.
Before using a staffing provider, confirm:
- the provider’s legal entity, license and permitted service scope;
- whether the actual arrangement is recruitment, outsourcing, labor dispatch or another model;
- whether the position qualifies for the proposed structure;
- which party signs the labor contract and pays wages and statutory contributions;
- which party directs day-to-day work and manages attendance, leave, discipline and safety;
- how equal-pay, worker return, replacement and termination issues are handled;
- whether the user company remains within the applicable dispatched-worker limit; and
- how fees, worker costs and liabilities are separated in the contract.
A staffing model should not be selected only because it appears faster or more flexible than direct employment. The operational facts and legal structure must match.
When should an employer use an EOR?
An Employer of Record is not another job board. It solves the legal-employer problem after a company has identified or plans to identify a genuine employee in China.
A foreign company may combine a recruitment agency with an EOR when it needs one partner to source candidates and another approved structure to employ the selected person. HROne’s China EOR guide explains how the EOR becomes the local employer and manages the agreed contract, payroll, tax, social insurance, housing fund and HR administration.
An EOR may fit when the company:
- has no suitable mainland China employing entity;
- needs to hire a first employee or small team;
- wants to test a market before entity establishment;
- needs to secure a candidate while incorporation is still underway; or
- needs a defined local employment structure in a new city.
The employer should still decide who owns sourcing, assessment, compensation approval, daily management and the final hiring decision. Recruitment and EOR fees should be separated unless the proposal clearly combines them.
Where the structure fits, hire through HROne’s China EOR after the actual employer, candidate, duties, location and approvals are confirmed.
How can employers combine recruitment channels?
Most effective hiring plans use more than one channel, but each candidate should have one source-of-record and one coordinated communication path.
| Employer use case | Recommended channel mix | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Several visible professional roles | Job sites, employee referrals and internal recruiting | Creates broad reach while keeping screening and employer branding in-house. |
| One specialist or bilingual manager | Targeted recruitment agency plus selected job-site search | Combines active outreach with inbound market coverage. |
| Confidential country leader | Retained executive search | Supports market mapping, discretion and controlled stakeholder communication. |
| Large recurring hiring project | Job sites plus project recruitment or RPO support | Adds recruiter capacity and process ownership without relying on one-off placements only. |
| Qualifying temporary or substitute requirement | Licensed staffing or labor-dispatch provider after legal review | Addresses workforce supply where the role and user-company limits support the model. |
| First China hire without an entity | Recruitment agency or direct sourcing plus EOR | Separates candidate search from the local legal-employer structure. |
Recruitment compliance for foreign employers
Recruitment compliance starts before the vacancy is published. The employer should know who is recruiting, who will employ the person, what candidate information will be collected and how the offer will become a lawful onboarding process.
Verify the provider and account
Check the provider’s legal entity, required license, scope and invoice details, and the actual employer behind the vacancy. The formal joint policy is 人力资源社会保障部、中央网信办等5部门办公厅关于规范网络平台招聘类信息发布的通知, dated December 25, 2025 and published by CAC on January 15, 2026. It concerns online recruitment information, account categories, qualification checks and truthful posting content; its published text does not state a separate later commencement date.
The notice requires real-identity and qualification verification, at least six-monthly account qualification review, and forbids unverified accounts from posting. Employer self-recruitment accounts may publish only their own employer/branch vacancies; commercial recruitment-service accounts have separate licensing/display duties. Post the employer details, headcount, requirements, work, location and basic remuneration, and keep the information current.
Use a truthful and supportable job description
The posting should identify the actual work, location, requirements and compensation position. Avoid requirements unrelated to the role, claims the employer cannot honor and titles that hide a different job. The final offer, labor contract, work location and payroll setup should not contradict the advertisement.
Protect candidate personal information
CVs, contact details, work history, compensation expectations, interview notes and assessment results are personal information. Under China’s Personal Information Protection Law, processing should have a valid basis, a clear purpose, a proportionate scope, transparency and appropriate security.
The employer should define which agency may collect data, which systems receive it, whether headquarters can access it, how long unsuccessful-candidate records are retained and how deletion or rights requests are handled. Do not build an unrestricted shared CV library across group companies.
Control background checks
Screening should be role-related, transparent and proportionate. Obtain any required authorization, verify information through lawful sources and give the candidate a fair opportunity to explain material discrepancies. HROne’s guide to employee background checks in China covers consent, privacy, documentation and decision controls in more detail.
Confirm the employment route before the offer
A successful recruitment process does not itself create lawful employment. Before the offer is released, confirm the legal employer, work location, salary, working hours, benefits, payroll route and any foreign-national work-authorization requirements. Recruitment agencies do not automatically become the employer, and an overseas company should not assume that an offshore contract alone solves China employment obligations.
How to select a recruitment agency, staffing firm or job platform
Use the following checklist before committing budget or sharing candidate data.
| Selection area | Questions for the provider | Evidence or contract term |
|---|---|---|
| License and legal entity | Which entity provides the service, and which licenses or filings cover it? | Business license, human resources service license and contracting details. |
| Role expertise | Has the team filled comparable roles in the relevant city and industry? | Named recruiter, search approach and anonymized relevant examples. |
| Sourcing method | Will the provider post ads, search databases, approach passive talent or use subcontractors? | Written search plan and disclosure of material subcontracting. |
| Screening | What is checked before a candidate is submitted? | Agreed screening criteria and candidate-summary format. |
| Fees | What is the fee base, trigger, tax treatment and cancellation rule? | Clear commercial schedule with worked examples where needed. |
| Candidate ownership | How are prior contact, duplicate introductions, affiliates and alternative roles handled? | Ownership clause and source-dispute procedure. |
| Guarantee | Is there a replacement or refund, and what exclusions apply? | Guarantee period, employer obligations and remedy. |
| Data protection | Where is candidate data stored, who receives it and how long is it retained? | Privacy terms, access controls, security obligations and deletion process. |
| Reporting and speed | How often will the employer receive market feedback and pipeline updates? | Reporting cadence, feedback responsibilities and escalation path. |
| Employment handoff | Who prepares the offer, contract, onboarding and payroll setup? | Responsibility matrix from candidate acceptance to lawful start. |
Practical recruitment workflow for employers hiring in China
- Confirm the business need. Define the outcomes, duties, reporting line, location, seniority and required skills.
- Confirm the employment model. Decide whether a China entity, staffing structure or EOR will employ the successful candidate.
- Benchmark compensation. Approve base salary, variable pay, benefits, employer cost and offer flexibility before search launch.
- Select the channel mix. Choose job sites, agency search, referrals, staffing or EOR according to the actual problem.
- Set commercial and ownership rules. Sign platform or agency terms before profiles are shared.
- Localize the job description. Use a title, requirements and compensation position that make sense in the target market.
- Launch and track one pipeline. Record candidate source, consent, status, feedback and next action in one system.
- Screen consistently. Apply job-related criteria and document why candidates move forward or are rejected.
- Move quickly through interviews. Assign decision-makers, feedback deadlines and offer authority.
- Complete lawful checks. Conduct proportionate background and work-authorization checks before relying on the result.
- Issue an aligned offer. Ensure the employer, role, location, salary, benefits and start date can be supported by the contract and payroll setup.
- Measure the channel. Review qualified-shortlist rate, interview conversion, offer acceptance, time to start, early attrition and total cost—not CV volume alone.
Coordinate the candidate handoff with the approved plan for hiring employees in China.
How HROne supports recruitment in China
HROne’s China recruitment service supports foreign employers with role alignment, targeted sourcing, initial screening, shortlist delivery, interview coordination, compensation input and offer-stage follow-up.
The recruitment scope can be coordinated with an appropriate employment structure when the employer also needs EOR, payroll or onboarding support. Candidate selection remains the client’s decision, and the final service scope should state which party owns sourcing, screening, checks, offer communication and employment setup.
Speak with HROne about a China recruitment consultation to review the role, city, salary position, channel strategy, expected timeline and employment model before the search launches.
FAQ: Recruitment agencies and job sites in China
Which recruitment channel is best for employers hiring in China?
The best channel depends on the role and the employer’s capacity. Job sites suit roles with active applicants and an internal recruiter; agencies suit specialist, senior or difficult searches; staffing firms may fit legally supportable temporary or dispatch needs; and an EOR provides the employment structure when the company lacks a suitable China entity.
What is the difference between a recruitment agency, staffing firm, job site and EOR?
A job site provides posting and candidate-search tools. A recruitment agency sources and assesses candidates for placement. A staffing firm may employ and assign workers under a regulated staffing or labor-dispatch model. An EOR becomes the local legal employer and manages agreed employment administration; it is not automatically a recruitment agency.
How do recruitment agencies charge in China?
Permanent-placement agencies may charge a success fee based on an agreed compensation base, while retained or executive searches use staged payments and project or RPO services may use fixed or monthly fees. The contract should define the fee base, trigger, candidate ownership, taxes, guarantee and cancellation rules.
Who owns a candidate introduced by a recruitment agency?
Candidate ownership is mainly determined by the agency contract. Employers should define a valid introduction, ownership period, prior-contact evidence, duplicate submissions, affiliate or EOR hiring, alternative roles, reintroduction and the records used to resolve a source dispute.
Can a foreign company recruit in China without a local entity?
A foreign company can search for and select candidates, but it still needs a lawful local employment structure before the employee starts. Where the company lacks a suitable China entity, it may combine recruitment support with an Employer of Record, subject to the role and operating facts.
Are staffing firms and labor-dispatch providers the same in China?
Not always. “Staffing firm” is a broad commercial term. Where the provider employs workers and assigns them to a user company, the arrangement may be regulated as labor dispatch and should be checked for provider licensing, role eligibility, workforce limits and the allocation of employer responsibilities.
