Shanghai Academy and Adecco Institute seal long-term partnership

Agreement signed at 50th Anniversary of China's oldest academy

Wolfgang Clement: "Independent research and free access to the
world's knowledge essential for China's future as a knowledge
society"

Shanghai, China - September 8, 2008. The Shanghai Academy of Social
Sciences (SASS) and the Adecco Institute have sealed a long-term
partnership. At a ceremony in Shanghai the President of the Shanghai
Academy, Prof. Wang Ronghua, and the Chairman of the Adecco
Institute, Wolfgang Clement, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to
establish joint research projects in the field of work and labor, to
do comparative Chinese-European labor market studies and to exchange
researchers. The signing followed the 50th Anniversary Celebration of
the Shanghai Academy, the oldest academy of social sciences in the
People's Republic of China.

"We are forming a reliable partnership based on mutual respect, trust
and a common understanding about the importance of exchange of
thoughts and Chinese-European collaboration", said Wolfgang Clement.
"What really impresses me about the Shanghai Academy, which I think
is also typical of today's China, is a great openness and true
interest to learn from others, to exchange views and opinions and to
work together with partners from abroad."

Wolfgang Clement continued: "China cannot live without Europe, and
Europe cannot live without China. Times of isolation are gone and
hopefully will never return. The relationship between Europe and
China is moving forward in positive ways, but a lot remains to be
done. I am proud that the co-operation of our two institutes can
contribute a little bit to enhance that mutual understanding by
showing that we have much more in common than separating us, and I am
looking very much forward to our co-operation".

Addressing more than 500 Chinese Research Directors and Academy
Presidents, the Former German Minister of Labor and Economics said:

"China has successfully re-entered and - in some fields - mastered
the world economy and has in a very short period of time and at a
pace that scares many people outside China, become an economic
superpower. But China's development can no longer be sustained by
just being the world's leading low-tech and labor-intensive
manufacturer, the creation of a modern knowledge society is a must."

"And the factors that lead to success in a knowledge society are
education, lifelong learning, free access to information and
unrestricted sharing of the world's knowledge. The liberty and
capacity to network and share information and knowledge and to
continuously learn from each other is a decisive prerequisite for
greater innovation, leading research and development and world-class
product quality and efficiency - the future sources of sustainable
growth and wealth for the Chinese people."

"Since we as institutions of research generate, share and disseminate
knowledge, we are in the forefront of the knowledge society, we are
its enablers."

The collaboration between the Shanghai Academy and Adecco Institute
initially started in 2007 with a research project on the new Chinese
labors laws, which resulted in the publication of a study called:
"China's future labor market: Workforce trends and the impact of the
new Chinese labor laws." The paper was translated into 7 languages
and is available for download at:
http://adeccoinstitute.com/chinalabormarket.htm.

About the Adecco Institute:
The Adecco Institute, founded in 2006 and based in London, is a think
tank on the future of work; it is committed to facilitating
discussions on the topic of work and employment. Through research as
well as white papers and forums for discussion, the Adecco Institute
provides forward-looking approaches to help companies and economies
raise employability and employee satisfaction at work.
www.adeccoinstitute.com

Media contact:
Shepard Fox Communications, Axel.Schafmeister@shepard-fox.com, Tel.:
+41 78 714 8014.
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