Zhang Meng, a coding engineer with seven years’ experience, receives phone calls from headhunters from time to time, though he has no urgent wish to leave his company. “I am open to all opportunities, but I don’t hate my boss,” he said. “If there are good openings with considerable benefits, I am willing to have a try.”

Zhang, 33, has posted his resume on social platforms such as the US-based network LinkedIn. “Sometimes, headhunters have found me through friends’ recommendations,” he said. Zhang turned down an offer last week because the position did not offer the 30 percent salary raise he was hoping for. “Then, it won’t make a big difference,” he said. “I am familiar with my current position and colleagues. A new company needs to show some commitment.” Zhang is a member of a professional group known as“passive talent”. Recruitment companies describe a passive candidate as someone who is not actively looking for a new job, unlike active candidates who are keen to find new employment.

Chinese employers are more interested in passive talent than those in other countries, according to a new report. The 2015 China Recruiting Trends Report released by LinkedIn, said 83 percent of Chinese companies recruit passive talent, well above the global average of 61 percent.

The report said there is a low probability that those who have worked in their field for more than five years, have built up their own network and established their reputation, will actively apply for a new job.

About 79 percent of professionals in China consider themselves passive candidates, but are open to talking to a recruiter or reaching out to a personal network. However, they are also completely satisfied and do not want to move.

The report added that the 21 percent of the workforce who are active candidates cannot meet the recruitment demands of employers.“They have to actively approach passive candidates.” Fu Zhu, the former recruitment head of e-commerce giant Jingdong, confirmed the trend. She said the traditional hiring channel is facing challenges of cost, quality and speed. “Take Jingdong as an example,” she said. “If 10 percent of employers chose to leave, then we have a lot of replacement hiring to do. We cannot wait for the perfect candidate to show up.”

Robert Parkinson, the CEO and founder of RMG Selection, an international human resources service organization that focuses on China, said:“There are not as many genuine passive candidates as we thought in the marketplace. “Passive candidates are not people who do not apply for a position directly. Real passive candidates are really not interested and are very reluctant to talk to recruiters. It is very difficult to get hold of them. But being passive does not make someone a perfect candidate. “I think a lot of companies in China, Chinese ones and foreign ones, are all battling for the same candidates.”

Parkinson said that in most cases the best candidates come from those who actively apply for a position. Another challenge for Chinese employers is retaining talent. “There is a high rate of turnover, and this is one of the critical structural problems of the Chinese job market,” he said. “Few companies stop and think about succession planning and consider what is going to happen in the future. As a result, you lose people. “Companies should build up the value and strength of the organization.”

Coveting passive talent

Chinese companies focused on recruiting passive candidates — or workers who are not actively looking for a new job but would take another position if the right one came along — in 2014.

To read original article, please click: