In China's job market, many employers seek to attract and
retain talent by assisting recruits to obtain local
"hukou", the official household registration that
formally identifies an individual as a resident of the area. As
hukou is closely tied to a person's education, job and housing
prospects, its derived benefits are especially enticing in cities
like Beijing.
To retain talent and dissuade new recruits from leaving as soon
as hukou is obtained, employers often insist on a hukou-related
employment service period, with a default penalty for breaching
it.
This article takes Beijing as a prime example and
analyses how courts approach disputes arising from employees
breaching the service period agreement after receiving their
assisted hukou.
