The uncoordinated creation of job opportunities with the supply of workers has already presented a tough challenge for the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in China.

According to figures released by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, China's urban registered unemployment rate stood at 4.1 percent in the first quarter of this year.

There stands to be a huge gap between employment supply and demand, since China will need 25 million new jobs this year but the market has only offered an average of 12 million new job opportunities annually over past few years.

However, what confronts the SMEs more, especially when they venture overseas, is the lack of skilled workers, say analysts.

"The talent shortage and general preference for being employed by big companies have made it difficult for SMEs to find the right candidates for key managerial positions," says Xiao Qiang, director of the China Small and Medium Business Research Institute. "In overseas markets the problem is even more acute due to cultural differences."

Liu Song, president of Chongqing Liuyishou Hotpot Co Ltd, says a shortage of talent derails overseas expansion plans of many SMEs like his.

Founded in 2000, the company has more than 400 chain stores and franchised outlets on the Chinese mainland.The company has set up overseas outlets in Singapore, the US, Canada and Dubai since 2010. But the Dubai restaurant nearly went bankrupt because of a lack of qualified workers.

Unable to find enough suitable applicants with a good understanding of Chinese and culture in Dubai, he has had to select employees from the group's headquarters in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality to send to the emirate, and then train them in English there.

"It is very time-consuming and returns on investment are not satisfactory," says Liu.And as the company looks to set up more restaurants overseas, the problem of talent shortage seems to be getting worse.

沪江英语快讯：因为人才市场找不到人才，所以导致现在无用的人没人要，有用的人才抢着要。一流的企业想要一流的人才，三流的企业也想要一流的人才，然而，一流的人才只有少数人，所以无法满足企业的需求。所以最后往往出现大企业找到最好的人才，而中小企业只能将就，增加了很多培训成本。

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