It used to be that Westerners had it easy in China. They enjoyed higher salaries, tax breaks, and preferential treatment in the job market. A white face itself was valuable enough.
But things have changed. Foreign background is no longer valued so much in job recruitment here.
Compared with the past, employers have become pickier these days. Sophie Li, marketing manager of the Beijing branch of RMG International Business Consulting, a hiring service provider, said among foreign applicants with similar professional experience and academic merit, those who really know China and the Chinese language are preferred.
In addition to the increasing influx of foreign professionals, domestic competitors continue to sharpen their foreign language skills and international business tactics, so the novelty of the white face has faded.
According to Li, she receives three to five application letters a week, mostly from foreigners in their 30s and 40s with three years or more of working experience. But in the past, there was only one application letter every two weeks.
Now for low-level positions, foreigners can’t compete with Chinese college graduates willing to take posts for as little as 2,500 yuan ($396) a month.
Although opportunities for foreigners have diminished in China, vacancies for experienced applicants with advanced professional skills are still abundant.
Several industries have reported a talent shortage in China, including IT, energy saving, accounting and finance. For example, it is estimated that up to 1 million professional jobs across the country are unfilled in the sector of 3G wireless mobile networks, and the annual salary for 3G engineers is estimated to reach 150,000 yuan to 200,000 yuan in four years, the Xinhua News Agency reported at the end of 2011.
Meanwhile, a forum of management and accounting professionals held August in Beijing revealed that China has about 3 million job openings in these field.
For experienced multilingual applicants with perseverance and a good work ethic, this is still the land of milk and honey.
Read the whole artile: http://www.globaltimes.cn/NEWS/tabid/99/ID/694141/Times-tougher-for-Western-job-seekers.aspx
