Looking for a recruitment agency in China? Out2China helps international companies find and hire employees through local sourcing, bilingual screening, interview coordination and offer support.
For one role or an ongoing hiring pipeline, we can act as your local recruitment partner or provide recruitment process outsourcing (RPO), with clear fees and a typical 4–6 week hiring cycle.
Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) is a hiring model where an outsourced HR partner like Out2China manages all or part of the recruitment activities on behalf of a company.
Our RPO service covers the full recruitment lifecycle, from job description development and candidate sourcing, to screening, interviews, offer negotiation and offer acceptance. We manage the entire hiring process end-to-end, so you can focus on running your business.
Without an RPO in China, overseas businesses often face fragmented recruitment processes, inefficiencies, and compliance risks in unfamiliar markets. RPO enables companies to focus on their core operations while experts efficiently build and manage talent pipelines.
Here are 3 reasons why recruitment process outsourcing with Out2China is a smart move when entering the Chinese market.
China has over 200 major cities, each with its own unique labour rules and market practices. A recruitment partner like Out2China can run searches across cities to local market practice. Employment compliance after the offer sits with the actual employer.
Instead of building separate HR teams city by city, RPO allows you to recruit nationwide at speed. This accelerates market entry and ensures you always find the right talent in the right city.
Hiring in China often requires navigating different costs by city and industry. RPO provides one-stop, scalable recruitment solutions, reducing overhead and keeping expansion flexible and cost-efficient.
Out2China’s recruitment and RPO service manages the hiring process from role definition and candidate sourcing to offer acceptance. Once the candidate accepts, the process moves to EOR or your own employment process.
Businesses entering the Chinese market can benefit hugely from recruitment process outsourcing.
Out2China stands out compared to other RPO services because we can help match the right roles with the right talent pools. Our on-the-ground knowledge sets you up for success; we know which cities and industries are likely to have the biggest talent pools for the specialist skills you need.
Our expertise means that we will be able to advise on realistic salary ranges for the roles, experience levels and locations so you can attract the right candidates.
We also manage the full recruitment process with ease thanks to our local hiring knowledge, strong networks and cultural understanding.
We follow local recruitment practice and relevant labor rules during the search. Employment compliance after the offer sits with the actual employer.
If you’re planning on launching your business in the Chinese market and need a local team, here’s how to know if RPO with Out2China might be a good choice for you
If you answered yes to these questions, then Out2China’s RPO services are a great choice for your business when launching in China.
Out2China is the expert at end-to-end recruitment support including
Essentially Out2China becomes a local Chinese extension of your team through the recruitment process, so you can focus on day to day work.
Before you post a role
China's network recruitment rules require platforms to check the employer's business licence or other establishment document, the recruiter's identity and the employer's authorisation. Platform workflows differ, but the practical question is the same: who is authorised to recruit in China, and under which company name?
Sources checked 7 September 2026: Network Recruitment Service Regulations, Article 17; BOSS Zhipin user rules; 51job user agreement.
Channel choice follows the role
We do not post every vacancy everywhere. A finance manager, a factory-facing merchandiser and a software engineer rarely respond to the same channel mix. We choose the platform after the city, salary band and candidate profile are clear.
Useful when direct, fast conversation with active candidates matters.
A broad corporate job-board channel for office, operational and specialist roles.
A general recruitment channel with wide role and city coverage.
Often considered for experienced, managerial and specialist talent.
Platform features and verification flows change. We confirm the current account, posting and authorisation requirements before each search.
The dividing line is not a job title alone. Salary, scarcity, location, confidentiality and the amount of proactive search all matter. We confirm the service lane in writing before the search starts.
| Service | Generally for | Fee | When you pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard recruitment | Roles with monthly salary below RMB 28,000 and no high-scarcity, high-confidentiality or unusually difficult search factors | US$1,480 per role | US$980 when the search starts; US$500 when the candidate starts |
| Senior or hard-to-fill search | RMB 28,000–40,000 a month | Normally 1.5 months of the agreed monthly salary | US$980 to start; the balance when the candidate starts |
| Senior or hard-to-fill search | Above RMB 40,000 a month | Normally 2 months of the agreed monthly salary | US$980 to start; the balance when the candidate starts |
Standard recruitment covers JD, posting, screening, outreach, interviews, salary discussion and offer support. Typical cycle: 4–6 weeks from the start of the search. A niche, highly confidential or unusually difficult role may use the senior search lane even below the guide threshold. See headhunting and executive-search support.
Paid advertising, background checks, assessments and travel are quoted separately if needed. The signed proposal controls the final scope and fee.
| Your situation | Start with | What to confirm first |
|---|---|---|
| You need candidates | Recruitment agency or RPO service | Role, city, salary range and search scope |
| You have a candidate but no suitable employing entity in China | EOR or another suitable arrangement | The actual legal employer, suitability and scope before onboarding |
| You want a project or process delivered, not a person you manage | Outsourcing | Deliverables, accountable owner and acceptance criteria |
First we get clear on who the role needs to hire — responsibilities, reporting line, salary range, city and candidate profile. Wherever the JD is unclear, we refine it together until candidates can understand it.
Based on the role, we choose suitable local Chinese recruitment channels and publish the listing so candidates can see it and want to apply.
We collect résumés, assess fit, filter out clearly unsuitable applicants, and organize the more promising candidates for you.
We first confirm a candidate's interest, availability, salary expectations, basic skills and stability, so you don't waste time interviewing the wrong people.
We coordinate timing between client and candidate, send meeting invites and remind both sides before interviews to keep the process smooth.
If second or third interviews are needed, we keep following up on candidate status, collect feedback and push the next step so the process doesn't stall.
When candidate and client salary expectations don't match, we help communicate, explain the market, and try to bring both sides into a workable range.
We help send the offer, confirm acceptance, lock the start date and pre-onboarding prep, reducing the risk of last-minute candidate changes.
The final hiring decision always rests with the client. Out2China handles recruitment execution, candidate communication, process coordination and offer support.
Suitable if you already have China recruiting experience, know which channels to use, and have someone to keep following up with candidates. It gives more direct control but takes a lot of internal time.
Good for overseas teams without a China recruiting team, or who want someone to get the process running. We know the local channels, candidate communication and salary expectations better.
During the search
A résumé count does not tell you whether a hire is moving. Each role has its own progress record: we add an entry whenever something happens, review the role's status every week and send you the weekly summary.
| Stage | What we do | What you see or decide |
|---|---|---|
| Sourcing and screening | Search channels, contact candidates and screen for fit | Role status, this week's conclusion and the main blocker |
| Recommended to you | Send résumés with match notes | Which candidates move forward |
| Interviews | Arrange interviews and collect feedback | Interview feedback and the next step |
| Background check, if requested | Coordinate the check and share the result | Whether to proceed |
| Offer | Discuss salary and terms with the candidate | Approve the offer; offer sent and offer accepted are recorded separately |
| Started work | Record the actual start date | The replacement period begins |
Anything that needs your decision is sent to you with our suggestion, who needs to confirm it and what happens if it stays open.
To start a search, we ask for the role, number of hires, city, working arrangement (on-site, remote or hybrid), salary range, up to three core requirements, target start date and who will interview. We do not need candidate personal data from you at this stage. First hire from Australia? See our role brief and interview guide and cost guide for Australian companies.
| What you receive | When |
|---|---|
| Weekly summary: role status, conclusion, main blocker and next plan | Every week during the search |
| Shortlisted résumés with match notes | When candidates pass our screening |
| Market feedback from our search, with a recommendation on the budget or requirements | When the search shows a gap |
| Candidate comparison and a recommended candidate | After interviews, where needed |
| Background check result | Optional additional service, if you request one; quoted separately |
| Placement confirmation form | When the candidate has passed interviews and you agree to hire; if you add a background check, after it is cleared |
After the candidate starts
If a candidate placed by Out2China leaves during the first 90 calendar days, we will reopen the same search once without another professional search fee, provided the original invoice has been paid and the role, salary range, location and reporting line have not materially changed.
The promise covers a reopened search for the same role. It is not a refund and does not cover new advertising, assessments, background checks or travel. It does not apply when the role is removed, materially changed or relocated; when pay or working conditions change after acceptance; or when the departure follows redundancy, restructuring, business closure, an unlawful instruction or conduct by the client that materially changes the agreed role. The signed proposal contains the final terms.
Where your team is based
The search process is the same wherever your team is based. For questions specific to your market, see our guide for Australian employers or guide for US employers. UK teams follow the same process, with interview times agreed around the time difference, and Hong Kong companies hiring in Shenzhen can start with our Hong Kong page.
Industries we currently recruit for in China. Client identities stay confidential — the patterns below are what the work actually looks like.
An Australian migration-services company needed a Chinese-speaking back office in mainland China to handle client intake, document preparation and follow-up across time zones. We mapped the roles against local salary bands, ran the search in Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities, and delivered a shortlist the client interviewed directly.
A UK trading business wanted people close to its suppliers instead of managing everything from Britain. We recruited sourcing and merchandising staff with factory-facing experience, screening for English working proficiency and supplier-negotiation background.
A Hong Kong software company hiring its first mainland China engineers needed help reading local CVs and salary expectations. We clarified the JD against the local market, filtered the applicant pool, and coordinated technical interviews across time zones.
The first three help you find someone. EOR is not an alternative to them: it is the step after you have chosen someone and need a local employer.
| Hire in-house | Recruitment agency or RPO (Out2China) | Headhunting | EOR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you buy | Nothing external; you use your own team and channels | The whole recruitment process, repeatable across roles | One placement, one role | A local employer for the person you have chosen |
| Who does the work | Your team | Out2China: JD, posting, screening, outreach, interviews, follow-up, salary talks and offer | The headhunter: sourcing and introduction | The EOR provider employs the person and runs payroll and social insurance |
| Fee model | Internal staff time and platform costs | Standard recruitment: fixed US$1,480 per role; specialist search: 1.5–2 months of salary | Usually a percentage of annual salary | Monthly service fee per employee, plus salary and employer contributions |
| Need a China entity? | Usually yes: platforms check the employer's licence and authorisation | Not for the search. The person you hire still needs a local employer | Usually not for the search. The person you hire still needs a local employer | No. This is the option when you have no China entity |
| Best for | Teams with China recruiting experience and time to follow up | Building or scaling a team, several roles, ongoing hiring | One senior or hard-to-fill role | Employing a chosen person without setting up a China entity |
RPO ends when your chosen candidate accepts the offer. If you have no legal entity in mainland China, that person still needs a compliant employer: that is what our EOR / PEO service does — labour contract, payroll, social insurance and tax. In our standard EOR arrangement, our own licensed Chinese company is the contractual employer. Some assignments use a local partner; we identify the legal employer before onboarding. Many clients run the two together: we recruit, then we employ on your behalf. You can also estimate the real employment cost before you commit, or look at a headhunting search if you only need one senior hire.
"What impressed me most about this company was their rare combination of efficiency and quality."
Send us the role, city and salary range — we will come back with a plan and timeline.
Your Local Partner for Global Expansion in China Out2China helps international companies register entities, build compliant HR teams, and manage payroll and operations in China — all in one platform.
Get in touch with our consultants today to simplify your China entry and business growth.
It covers role and JD clarification, channel selection and job posting, résumé collection and screening, initial candidate outreach, interview scheduling and follow-up, salary discussion, and offer and pre-onboarding support. The client keeps the final hiring decision.
Yes. Recruitment is the search for a candidate, so it can start before you have a China entity. Once the candidate accepts, that person still needs a local employer. You may employ through your own China entity or connect the hire to a separately agreed EOR service.
We choose channels after confirming the role, city, salary band and candidate profile. BOSS Zhipin can support fast direct conversations; 51job and Zhaopin are broad corporate recruitment channels; Liepin is often considered for experienced, managerial and specialist talent. Platform features and verification rules change, so we confirm current access before each search.
Standard recruitment is US$1,480 per role: US$980 when the search starts and US$500 when the candidate starts. It is generally for roles with monthly salary below RMB 28,000 and no high-scarcity, high-confidentiality or unusually difficult search factors. Paid advertising, assessments, background checks and travel are quoted separately if needed.
Roles with monthly salary from RMB 28,000 to RMB 40,000 are normally charged 1.5 months of the agreed monthly salary; roles above RMB 40,000 are normally charged 2 months. A niche, highly confidential or unusually difficult role may enter this lane below the guide threshold. US$980 is paid when the search starts and the balance when the candidate starts. The signed proposal controls the final lane, calculation basis and fee.
Most roles are filled in 4–6 weeks from the start of the search. Timing depends on the role, salary, candidate availability and how quickly interviews and decisions move.
If a candidate placed by Out2China leaves within 90 calendar days after starting, we will reopen the same search once without another professional search fee, provided the original invoice is paid and the role, salary range, location and reporting line have not materially changed. This is not a refund and does not include new advertising, assessments, background checks or travel. It does not apply when the role is cancelled, materially changed or relocated; when pay or working conditions change after acceptance; or when the departure follows redundancy, restructuring, business closure, an unlawful instruction or client conduct that materially changes the agreed role. The signed proposal contains the final terms.
Standard recruitment is designed for repeatable hiring and full process support. Headhunting or specialist search is better suited to senior, scarce, confidential or unusually difficult roles that need proactive market mapping and direct approaches. The service lane and fee are agreed before the search starts.
A weekly summary covering role status, conclusion, main blocker and next plan, plus any decisions that need your confirmation.
A company in China must be the employer. You can use your own China entity or an EOR arrangement; the actual employer is confirmed before onboarding.
The role, number of hires, city, working arrangement, salary range, core requirements, target start date and interviewers.
