A job as a civil servant in China used to mean a life-long position with an unbreakable "iron rice bowl" from cradle to grave.

But staff members working in state administrative organs in Guangdong province will now be issued with a contract of employment instead of a lifetime guarantee, xinhuanet.com reported Tuesday.

The new system will break the decades long "iron rice bowl" which used to mean a guaranteed job for life in government, and civil servants in the province will be paid according to their performance.

The province has also vowed to recruit officials from the grassroots level. The new employment system will be enacted during the 12th Five- Year Plan (2011-2015).