BEIJING - The South China city of Shenzhen in Guangdong province has made public the essential information of those employed by the local government, such as their names and ranks, in a bid to boost transparency.

On April 20, the information of local government employees from 32 departments was posted on the official website of the Shenzhen City Human Resources and Social Security Bureau.

The information includes names, gender, official rank and academic records of all government employees.

The number of officials and government employees hired by each department has also been released, as has the number of non-official employees, such as cleaners.

In addition, an online search function is embedded into the bureau's website, allowing Internet users to search for the posts of specific government employees by name.

It will help to boost the transparency of government employees to publish their information online, said Wang Min, head of the bureau.

The move will also guarantee the right of citizens to know and supervise government employees, which will lead to enhanced oversight, Wang added.

Local residents welcomed the move, said an official in charge of the program, who declined to be named.

Some residents had demanded that more information, such as the income of government employees, be made public, but the official said that: "We have disclosed as much as possible in accordance with existing rules."

Most Chinese cities, including the province-level municipalities of Beijing and Shanghai, have yet to follow Shenzhen's example.

In December 2009, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security in a circular ordered all local governments to gradually make employee information available.

"Shenzhen's move is an important step toward building transparent government," said Wang Yongcheng, a professor of Chinese politics with Shenzhen University.

"The information already released doesn't involve the government employees' privacy, so it is allowed to publish this information online," he added.