Thousands of people thronged the Workers Stadium in Beijing yesterday - but they were not queueing up for a soccer match. They were applicants, mostly workers laid off from State-owned enterprises, lining up for opportunities at more than 200 booths set up by private companies.

The capital was one of 100 cities nationwide holding such a fair; and a staggering 200,000 jobs at more than 10,000 private enterprises were up for grabs in the week-long employment fairs.

The fairs are jointly organized by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MOLSS), the All-China Federation of Trade Unions and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC).

At the Beijing fair, Nie Chunsheng of Darong Car Service Centre, said: "We received more than 20 applications by 11 am. Some of them look promising."

He said the centre plans to hire 100 new workers this year, and will definitely "choose some from this job fair."

The private sector, which has been growing at a sizzling pace, is playing a major role in employment generation, said Hu Deping, vice-chairman of ACFIC.

Two-thirds of the country's laid-off workers have found jobs in private enterprises, Hu said.

And the federation's statistics show the private economy now accounts for more than 70 per cent of urban employees. The percentage is even higher in some provinces such as South China's Guangdong Province, where more than 390,000 private enterprises are based.

Since 1992, private enterprises have provided an average of 6 million new jobs each year, accounting for 80 per cent of the new vacancies, Hu said.

Wu Jianzhong, Party secretary of WuMart Group, a large chain supermarket based in Beijing, said: "In the past years, we have employed more than 8,000 laid-off workers in co-operation with 20 State-run enterprises."

Beijing Sande Environmental Protection Group said about 30 per cent of its new employees each year are laid-off SOE workers.

"We hope job applicants change the old concept about private enterprises being 'unstable and exploitative'," said Zhang Yijun, the company's human resources manager.

Among the hopefuls in Beijing yesterday was 46-year-old Wang Jinghua, who has a good impression of private companies.

"Compared with State-run enterprises, private companies have more flexible policies. They care more about profits, so their bosses are more involved in businesses personally."

But Wang, who lost his job last August in a State-run trading company which paid 6,000 yuan (US$726) monthly, is worried about his age.

After checking out dozens of booths, Wang found it hard to pick a job out of 1,304 to his satisfaction.

After half a day, he had filled in only two applications, and was still unhappy about the salary.

"They offered 3,000 yuan (US$363) a month, only half of what I used to get," said Wang, who has to support a family of four, including a bed-ridden mother-in-law and a 15-year-old.

The majority of employers said they were looking for people aged between 20 and 35; and few are willing to employ those above 45 years old. However, most of the laid-off workers are in the 40-50 age group.

Quite a number of "elder" applicants agreed with Wang - that the chances of finding a job were not bright.

"I like art and have great calligraphy skills, but most of the job vacancies require computer skills, which a man in his 40s like me cannot learn," said Fu Heping, a father of two who works at a community centre for a monthly salary of 800 yuan (US$97).

Jiao Xiuli, a social worker at Wukesong Community who was helping collect job information at the fair, said: "Most of the jobs require high educational qualifications. But many laid-off workers, who are in their 40s or 50s, have only primary-school education."

This year marks a crucial turning point for all registered laid-off workers. They will no longer receive allowance from local employment guidance centres. Instead, they will be categorized as "unemployed" and be eligible for unemployment insurance.