Bank of China, one of China's four major state-owned banks, has scraped cadre ranks as part of a transformation process.

Bank spokesman Wang Zhaowen, says the reform will give 170 thousand employees in the bank an equal opportunity to compete for high positions, according to China Radio International.

The appointed system of personnel arrangement will be ousted by employment from the public.

Since Bank of China became the Bank of China Limited this August, the human resource reform has been implemented.

Staff at the bank are able to compete positions in five departments in the head office of the bank.

The reform in the head office is expected to be completed by the end of this year or early next year. And branches in Jiangsu and Sichuan Provinces will be the first to make the reform.