Recruiting in China

Results of the 2012 Amazing China - The Most Attractive Chinese Cities for Foreigners survey were released. Expats chose Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and others as China's 10 most attractive cities for foreigners.

The cities that made the top 10 list are: Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Kunming, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Tianjin, Xiamen and Qingdao.

Launched in September 2012, the voting invited 175,400 expats over the past year to appraise their favorite Chinese cities, and 1,050 have been polled for their opinions on four categories: policy, administration, working and living environments.

The expats polled in the survey conducted by International Talent Magazine include Chinese Friendship Award recipients, foreign scholars and scientists selected for the Recruitment Program of Global Experts, and other foreign professionals working in China. Those polled suggested many ways for Chinese cities to become more appealing destinations for global professionals.

*Shanghai*

“My impression is that essentially everywhere in China people are very friendly and helpful and medical care is perfect for foreigners, natural environment is great and its protection is well recognized as a major task today for the future. So, every one of those 49 cities should have been mentioned essentially for every category.

The main future task for China is probably coping with migration, and improving life andschooling in the countryside. But also this you know very well.” --- German mathematician Andreas Dress

*Beijing*

“It’s pretty easy for foreigners to live in a nice city, and the people in China are very friendly. I am enjoying my life in Beijing.” ---Former NBA player Stephon Marbury

*Shenzhen*

“Shenzhen government has been very productive about attracting, retaining and supporting foreign talent, more so than elsewhere I have seen in China.

The social and environmental infrastructure in Shenzhen is very attractive to foreigners. Transportation links and the proximity to Hong Kong are also most valuable.” ---British financial expert Richard David Jackson

*Suzhou*

“Since modernization started in China, Suzhou’s local government has been putting a great emphasis on investment, scientific research and other development projects.

Technology and Innovation park’s traffic is convenient, the park is close to Shang-hai. Its environment is good, clean, quiet, which is suitable for the development of the company.

Local residents are industrious and sincere, moreover, local government can timely care about our development, timely solve our difficulties in any side.” ---Russian physician Teplukhin Vladimir

*Kunming*

“The city is well managed by the local government, and they are concentrating on making it a better city for all its citizens, including foreigners.” ---New Zealand garden manager Lewis William Dagger

*Hangzhou*

“Hangzhou people are simple, friendly and kind. Hangzhou government at all levels is very practical and diligent. They respect knowledge, talent and creation.” ---German expert Bruno Klaus Filter

*Nanjing*

“Nanjing?from my first visit in 1987 , to now in 2012 has developed into a cosmopolitan city while maintaining Chinese culture and charm.” --- American expert Bikram S. Gill

*Tianjin*

“Tianjin, as a famous city, is historical, cultured, environmental, and most important city, which is very suitable to live in. I love Tianjin and regard Tianjin as my second hometown, and I will spread propaganda for Tianjin. I love Tianjin, wish a bright future for Tianjin, and wish happiness for the people of Tianjin.” --- Russian expert Eugeny Kaspersky

*Xiamen*

“I think Xiamen is one of the most attractive cities for foreigners who work in China. The city is very nice and wonderful, and this place is a very safe place for foreigners and their families.” ---South Korean engineer Won Ho Moon

*Qingdao*

“Qingdao City possesses a very good, quick-developing infrastructure, which combine with a beautiful architecture landscape ensemble and nature color.

I can see Qingdao City as a fine place for realization of creative projects, business, rest.” ---Russian expert Vladimir Kabanov

Recruitment for general laborers has become tight for factories in East China’s coastal areas, according to a report by Economic Information Daily.

Visits to industrial parks in Shanghai and recruitment sites in Baoshan, Jiading and Zhabei district found that the market demand for skilled workers can be satisfied after the Spring Festival, but it is very difficult to get general laborers.

“We need about 20 workers, and the salary we offer is quite competitive even for low-level workers. Not until the recruitment is half through, we have got all the technical workers we need, while over half of the general workers we need are still lacking,” said Jin Tao from the Human Resources Department of Shanghai Shuanggang Warehouse Co. “Low requirements in skills and harder work for assembly-line positions make it less attractive to the new generation of migrant workers.”

Demand for proficient workers at production lines is highest for enterprises, according to a survey by local labor and human resource departments.

“In order to get people, companies had to give intermediaries 500 yuan in fees every time they introduced a worker,” said Xu Jiangao, director of labor and social security center at Shanghai Xinzhuang Industrial Park.

New generations of migrant workers in pursuit of decent employment, the narrowing wage gap between east coast and the central and west regions, and the soaring commodity prices on the east coast all contribute to recruitment difficulties.
Compared with the first generation of migrant workers, employment expectations of the new generation have increased. In addition to remuneration, they pay more attention to the quality of employment, life experience and the realization of life values.

Wang Yong, of Guizhou, who came to Shanghai, wants to find a job that is technological, challenging and promising. “My first choice is administration work, and then technological work. General workers have no prospect for my career, I won’t be such a worker anymore.”

Due to the higher cost of living in economically developed areas, performance ratio of income and expenditure compared to the central and western regions seems lower, which makes it less attractive to low-skilled workers.

In addition, because of the higher level of social security in developed areas, labor cost is actually higher, which makes it difficult for some companies to give raises to general workers.

Zeng Xiangquan, dean of the School of Labor and Human Resources at Renmin University of China, said that the Lewis turning point has come to China’s labor market.

The Lewis turning point is a concept by economist William Arthur Lewis. After surplus rural labor transfer is completed, the employment population will not be able to keep up with labor demand.

According to estimates, 16- to 24-year-old youth labor in China will decrease from 120 million in 2006 to 60 million in 2020, and the “golden” working population of 25 to 55 would fall significantly starting in 2015, which determines the labor market, especially the low-end labor market.

Experts believe that, after the Lewis turning point, China's demographic dividend will gradually subside, and structural imbalance of the labor market will further be highlighted.

It will effectively increase the labor supply if the country can lower the household registration threshold and provide the same health care, pension and children’s education to migrant workers, said Cai Fang, director of the Institute of Population and Labor Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

As for the demand for "decent employment" by migrant workers, the government should promote concepts and values for different professions and reduce unnecessary labor mismatches, said Zhao Dejian, who is in charge of the Joint Meeting Office of Shanghai Migrant Workers.

New progress has been made in the employment of the disabled, as China created new jobs for 329,000 disabled urbanites in 2012, according to a communique released Sunday.

As many as 299,000 handicapped urbanites received vocational training last year, while the number of vocational training bases inched up to 5,271 from 5,254 in 2011, according to the communique, which was released by the China Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF).

According to the CDPF, a total of 16,514 blind masseuses and 4,925 blind medical workers were trained in 2012, with 12,887 massage care institutions and 848 medical massage institutions located across the country.

Employment is crucial for helping China's massive handicapped population lead normal lives.

Statistics from the federation show that over 20 million Chinese have hearing disabilities, but a limited number of jobs are open for them in the country's fiercely competitive job market.

The communique showed that about 3.25 million disabled urbanites joined in the country's social pension insurance system for urban residents last year, accounting for 58.4 percent of the total disabled urban population.

In addition, about 13.34 million disabled people in rural areas were included in the new rural social endowment insurance system, taking up 63.8 percent of the total disabled rural population, the communique showed.

China's National Human Rights Action Plan (2012-2015) provides that the country will stabilize and expand employment for the disabled.

China's nonmanufacturing industries gained stronger growth momentum in March, supported by an accelerating economic recovery.

The nonmanufacturing purchasing managers' index, an indicator that reflects the business activities in the construction and service sectors, bounced back to 55.6 in March, according to the National Bureau of Statistics and the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing on Wednesday. It was 54.5 in February and 56.2 in January.

A PMI above 50 means expansion, as opposed to contraction. The survey covers 1,200 enterprises.

Overall new orders increased 0.2 points to 52 percent month-on-month, and new export orders improved to 51.7 from 51.6, indicating stronger demand from both domestic and overseas markets, said Cai Jin, vice-chairman of the CFLP.

Input prices dropped to 55.3, 0.9 points less than in February, suggesting an easing of inflation pressure, the analyst said.

It is a signal of a strengthened growth impetus for the whole economy, along with the raised manufacturing PMI released on Monday, he said.

The March manufacturing PMI, which reflects factory production, rebounded to 50.9 from 50.1 in February.

The construction industry PMI rose to 62.5, up by 4.5 points from a month earlier and a 12-month high, as most migrant workers returned to cities to resume construction projects after the Spring Festival holiday in February.

"It suggests that construction enterprises have more positive expectations for the market situation this year," Cai said.
The service industry PMI slightly declined to 53.6 from February's 54.9. Business volumes for catering, retail, air transport and road transport industries shrank in March, said an NBS statement.

HSBC Holdings PLC reported a service industry PMI on Wednesday based on a separate survey. It registered a six-month high of 54.3 in March, up from 52.1 in February, because of the rebound of new business orders and employment.

Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Xiamen on the southeast coast are the three places in China with the greatest economic, technological and social openness, according to a report released Saturday at the Boao Forum for Asia.

According to the report, the first of its kind, Shenzhen, one of the earliest economic zones in Guangdong Province, is the most open. It has an edge on trade contacts, innovation and technology exchanges. Guangzhou, the capital city of Guangdong, is ranked second. Xiamen, in Fujian Province, was third, the Nanfang Daily reported.

All three places were among the first wave of regions in China to modernize their economies and open themselves to foreign investment, a process that started in the 1980s.

The International Cooperation Center of National Development and Reform Commission released the report, which rates Chinese cities' openness to doing business internationally. The ranking list includes 32 cities, including 27 capital cities and five other cities with provincial-level economic management authority. The evaluation is based on 48 indicators rating the economy, technology and societal openness, trade contacts, foreign currency deposits and direct investments from foreign merchants.

Hangzhou and Ningbo in Zhejiang Province, Nanjing in Jiangsu Province, Dalian in Liaoning Province and Qingdao in Shandong Province came next.

These eight cities are all from coastal or eastern provinces, suggesting that a city's openness level is closely connected to regional openness and development. It also highlights the problem of China's imbalanced development regionally, said the report.

Cities taking the last five spots of the list are all from western inland China, namely Hohhot in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Lhasa in Tibet Autonomous Region, Lanzhou in Gansu Province, Yinchuan in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Xining in Qinghai Province, according to China News Service.

The western part of China is not likely to become a hot spot of foreign investments due to its geographical location, Ding Yifan, researcher at the Institute of World Development under the Development Research Center of the State Council, told the Global Times.

Most foreign investment in eastern coastal areas are focused on raw material processing, which doesn't suit western China, Ding said, adding that the west, which has remarkable sunshine, should seek openness based on its own unique qualities, such as agricultural product processing.

Citing the eastern coastal areas' great achievements in terms of openness, Ding pointed out that excess capacity is a common problem in China and the east should not continue seeking foreign investment targeting raw material processing,
"Openness in the service industry is the trend," said Ding. "Currently the service industry in China isn't open enough in the sense that the market in the field is so large and the potential is also significant."

Microsoft is expected to establish an innovation center in south China's Hainan Province, the first of its kind on the Chinese mainland, according to an agreement signed between Microsoft and the Hainan provincial government on Sunday.

Based on Microsoft's leading technology platform, the Microsoft Innovation Center will attract software enterprises in the fields of tourism and agriculture to Hainan, said Li Guoliang, deputy governor of Hainan.

Li said the government hopes to nurture an ecology-related industrial software chain worth 5 billion yuan (798 million U.S. dollars).

Microsoft will also build a "Microsoft IT Academy" in Hainan to boost the training of IT experts.

Microsoft will carry out strategic cooperation with Hainan regarding technological development, software training and intellectual property rights protection, according to a memorandum of understanding inked by the Hainan provincial government and Microsoft (China) Co., Ltd. on the sidelines of the ongoing Boao Forum for Asia.

Microsoft Group Vice President Orlando Ayala said global tourism hot spots are moving to the Asia-Pacific region, adding that the company's cooperation with Hainan will prop up the province's efforts to become a major international tourist destination.

Microsoft Innovation Centers are state-of-the-art facilities designed to foster collaboration on innovative research, technology and software solutions, involving a combination of government, academic and industry participants.