The ink is barely dry on the deal. But the agreement on China joining the World Trade Organisation is already making an impact on business in China. Analysts expect the deal to trigger a new wave of foreign investment. This will especially affect sunrise industries like telecoms and computing. The downside of this is that Chinese companies will face harder competition. Many will rise to the challenge. But some will be forced to close. And others will lay off surplus staff. For individual workers the WTO deal highlights the importance of upgrading skills and qualifications. New investors in China will need highly qualified people. So will the Chinese companies who compete with them. Human resource professionals have already noticed a trend towards aggressive recruitment by Chinese companies. But this only applies to people with the skills to help them become world-beater. And that is also the attitude of growing numbers of joint ventures and foreign-owned companies. We are seeing the establishment of a 'quality line'. People whose skills are below this level will find it increasingly hard to get rewarding jobs. People above it will find their opportunities increased. A good example of this process at work can be found in the e-commerce sector. Many companies are rushing to get online. And they all need software engineers. But the demand for quality is beginning to affect all aspects of working life. Recruitment professionals have also noticed an increasing demand for secretaries and administrators. There are lots of people around with the traditional skills for these posts. But there are fewer with the IT skills needed for work in a modern, computerized office environment.' The emergence of Chinese Internet based companies has also seen a sharp rise in demand for people with a wide range of skills. Naturally, these new companies need technical and support staff. But they also want people who can write and design high quality content. And staff with the ability to sell a new and exciting proposition into the market are also required. The key to Internet companies is speed. They grow according to the principle of 'first mover advantage'. So for people who want to work in this sector, the time to move is now. Increased competition is also reflected in a steady demand for sales people, especially sales managers. With companies trying to sharpen up their public image, there is also an increasingly strong flow of vacancies in advertising and public relations. For all these jobs companies are looking for experienced people with a good command of English. These developments are evidence of a profound change in the Chinese job market. The WTO deal marks a change in emphasis. Companies are less interested in producing things and more interested in getting the best out of people. And to take advantage of this, people looking for jobs will have to get the best out of themselves. The world of work is becoming a more exciting place, but also less secure. The passage is focused on______.