XIAMEN -- More Taiwan residents are expected to work in the mainland's companies and public institutions as a result of some preferential employment policies announced Sunday at the fourth Straits Forum in China's southeastern coastal city of Xiamen.

Taiwan students who graduate from the mainland's colleges and other Taiwan residents can enjoy the same rights to work in mainland businesses as their mainland compatriots, said Wang Yi, director of the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, adding that mainland businesses can employ the Taiwan residents by themselves.

Taiwan students who graduate from the mainland's colleges and other Taiwan residents can be employed in public institutions through open recruitment in the new pilot regions of Tianjin, Shanghai, Zhejiang and Hubei in addition to the provinces of Fujian and Jiangsu, Wang said at the forum.

Taiwan residents who have got recognized credentials by the mainland's educational authorities can work in mainland public institutions, including colleges and universities, cultural and medical institutions in the six provinces and municipalities, he added.

The mainland's employment service agencies will provide free consulting services for the Taiwan residents, said Wang.