Recruiting in China

Fifteen percent of employers across Chinese mainland are finding it difficult to fill jobs, according to an annual talent shortage survey released yesterday by Manpower, a world leader in the employment service industry.

The top three vacant jobs are technicians, sales representatives and management or executive positions, and the ratio is four percentage points lower than that of 2007 survey result, said the January 2008 survey, based on 3,900 employers in Chinese mainland.

Compared with 2007, technicians top the list fill for the second year in a row. Sales representatives moved from third to second, and management/executives, ranked fourth in 2007, moved up to the third-most difficult job to fill. In addition, labor positions fell from second to ninth.

"Judging from survey results of the last three years, talent shortage remains a problem in Chinese mainland," said Lucille Wu, managing director of Manpower Greater China.

"It require joint efforts from companies, individuals and the government to solve the problem," said Lucille, adding companies could invest more in employee training, strengthen cooperation with educational institutions, encourage employees to extend their working scope and help upgrade employee skills.

"As for individuals, they can develop their own skills, attend more training and review their own career interests. The government should be committed to a long-term talent training plan, encouraging the development of vocational education and cooperating with companies to forecast future talent needs," said Lucille.

The top 10 positions that employers in Chinese mainland are having difficulty filling in 2008:

2008 Hot Jobs

1. Technicians

2. Sales Representatives

3. Management/Executives

4. Sales Managers

5. Machinists/Machine Operators

6. Engineers

7. Production Operators

8. Skilled Manual Trades (primarily electricians, carpenters/joiners or welders)

9. Laborers

10. Restaurant & Hotel Staff

2007 Hot Jobs

1. Technicians

2. Laborers

3. Sales Representatives

4. Management/Executives

5. Engineers

6. Customer Service Representatives/Customer Support

7. Researchers (R&D)

8. Sales Managers

9. Supervisors

10. Designers