8 TRENDS THAT ARE IMPACTING HIRING IN CHINA RIGHT NOW

The COVID-19 crisis has ushered in a new era in the world of work that is impacting both jobseekers and hiring organisations. Speaking on behalf of Hays consultants who are on the ground interacting with businesses and candidates every day, Simon Lance, Managing Director of Hays Greater China shares 8 trends that are currently impacting recruitment in China:

1)    Job market will pick up further in Q3 – “China had its decades-worth of exponential growth tested in unprecedented ways at the start of 2020,” says Simon. Having battled the brutal first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with little time to spare, the country’s economy shrank by 6.8% in the first quarter, the first such contraction on record. However, the economic superpower has remained resilient and poised for growth after businesses reopened in the second quarter and provided its markets with a much-needed pickup. “Q3 is poised for even more growth with more jobs opening in the market as businesses look to resume their annual hiring plans. More merger and acquisitions are also expected as the economy bounces back,” he says.

2)    Remote Working is here to stay – While most businesses have resumed normal operations, remote working is still a topic of interest among organisations. “Many have adopted hybrid models of shift working, where employees can work at home for one week and at the office the next. Video conferencing has also become a more permanent fixture, alongside the adoption of digital onboarding, training programs and even digital contracts, where candidates sign their offers online,” says Simon. 

3)    Surge in hot desking and shared office spaces  – As social distancing measures become a part of day to day life, more organisations are embracing the concept of hot desking instead of fixed seats, leading to enhanced engagement with co-workers at this difficult time. “As a result, more companies are also starting to use rental or shared office services when expanding to a new sector or launching a new business unit,” says Simon. “This approach has led to more business development and networking opportunities, particularly for MNCs or tech giants looking to launch new tech or digital businesses.”

4)    Social media becomes a critical channel of communication – “Social media platforms like WeChat and Weibo played a critical role at the height of the pandemic and have remained critical channels of communication for organisations,” says Simon. “Not only are more organisations using social media for internal employee engagement and connectivity, but many are also taking marketing and employer brandings initiatives online. Similarly, candidates have also come to regard social media as an important channel to receive recruitment information and search for new roles.”

5)    Overseas Chinese make their return – As countries around the world closed their borders to control the pandemic, an exodus of overseas nationals around the world returning to their home countries was observed. “China was one of the first to see this wave of returnees, who are considered valuable talent owing to their cross-cultural experience, communication skills and exposure to different types of businesses,” says Simon. “Many such returnees are keeping salary expectations reasonable at this time but considering their primary motive is to be closer to their families and develop their careers, more organisations would likely have to look into flexible working arrangements and innovative roles or work cultures to attract such talent.”

6)    Business focus turns domestic – Compounded with trade tensions over the last year, the pandemic has accelerated China’s focus on developing domestic businesses. “The bulk of hiring has thus shifted to local organisations, particularly as MNCs are facing challenges with headcount, budgeting and slower approval processes,” says Simon. 

7)    China poised to become R&D hub – An increasing domestic focus has led to a boom in the R&D function in China. “Government led incentives and policies have the country poised to become the next global hub for R&D, particularly within the manufacturing, high-tech engineering and life sciences sectors,” says Simon. This has led to an increased demand for high-calibre technical candidates across the board, from commercial to product development and regulatory roles. 

8)    Remote working spurs candidate mobility – “With working and hiring remotely becoming a long-term approach for most organisations, candidates now have more options when considering their working location of choice,” says Simon. “Additionally, government led talent attraction schemes and incentives in talent short sectors like high-tech engineering are also attracting qualified candidates to cities outside of Beijing and Shanghai.” Opportunities for mobility are likely to increase as the national focus on developing domestic industries continues.

“While the recent period of crisis has been challenging for both job seekers and organisations alike, the direction of its resulting changes remains definitively positive. As we move towards more digitalised workplaces and expanded, hybrid functions, a key strategic priority for businesses at this time should be to ensure their employees and managers are equipped with the right skills to not just endure but thrive in the new world of work,” he concludes. 

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About Hays China

Hays Specialist Recruitment (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. is one of China's leading recruitment companies in recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people across a wide range of industries and professions. 

Hays has been in China since 2006 with operational offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Suzhou, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. We boast a track record of success and growth, dealing in permanent positions across 14 different specialisms, including Accountancy & Finance, Banking & Financial Services, Construction &Property, Digital Technology, Education, Engineering, Human Resources, Information Technology, Legal, Life Sciences, Manufacturing & Operations, Marketing & Digital, Procurement & Supply Chain and Sales. Hays China was named Best Workplace™ and Best Workplaces™ for Women in Greater China 2019, and recently ranked one of the the Best Workplaces™ in Asia by Great Place to Work®.
 

About Hays

Hays plc (the "Group") is a leading global professional recruiting group. The Group is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK and Asia Pacific and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe and Latin America. The Group operates across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments. As at 31 December 2019 the Group employed 11,600 staff operating from 266 offices in 33 countries across 20 specialisms. For the year ended 30 June 2019:

– the Group reported net fees of £1,129.7 million and operating profit (pre-exceptional items) of £248.8 million;
– the Group placed around 81,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 254,000 people into temporary assignments;
– 18% of Group net fees were generated in Australia & New Zealand, 27% in Germany, 23% in United Kingdom & Ireland and 32% in Rest of World (RoW);
– the temporary placement business represented 57% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 43% of net fees;
– Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Chile, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, the UK and the USA