It has been around for decades, and is conducted using a well-defined and validated methodology.



So It’s such a pity that the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey (MEOS) survey completely misses the point for China.



The study is infused with cautious optimism, and everything is ‘positive’ or at least ’steady’. Phrases like ‘considerable year-over-year improvement’ are used to create the… Continue

It’s difficult to put your best foot forward when your China hiring report is released as major financial institutions have just gone into a major meltdown.



Such is life.



Of course, the Hudson Report for July to September 2008 is as deep and accurate as you would normally expect from them. We just have to adjust many of the results downwards.



The trends should be much the same as in the report but the optimism is much less warranted. 2009 looks like a bit of a… Continue

(This post is not related to the issue of recruiting but sometimes you just have to respond. I have been asked by a few people for some context that would help them understand the situation on the ground in Sichuan, on the basis that I am at least nearer. But I doubt my ability to even begin to describe what is happening.



Others have asked how they can help. This I can do (see list below). )





Sichuan Earthquake



Here on the well-off East Coast… Continue

It started out two years ago with a viral email that was sent around China showing pictures of the Google offices in Beijing.



They looked pretty much like this first set below. No one is sure who sent the original email but it did a better job of building a Recruitment Brand than all the initiatives that internal HR is likely to have taken in Google China over the past few years.



A conspiracy theory approach would… Continue

From a hiring perspective you could just as easily be watching the rise of salaries in China, but if you want a visual illustration as to why the War for Talent in China is so difficult to win, this video comparison of exports in Asia over the past 14 years is just the ticket.



You can actually see China rising up like a Goliath, and dwarfing the other countries in the region.



This export increase is mirrored by the rise in… Continue

The World Bank just issued a report that signals continued good times for 3rd party recruitment companies, with some possible relief for hiring departments, and an ongoing challenge in retention.



The World Bank never uses the expression soft landing but that is essentially what they are suggesting. This is good for 3rd party recruitment companies because the skills demand continues, but at only a slightly reduced level. The uncertain economic… Continue

FORECAST: Looming clouds on the horizon in China with definite signs of wet weather, and not even the remotest connection to the presence of bears.

This is self-inflicted rain.

The Chinese Ministry of Labor and Social Security is apparently working on a new law that encourages employers to pay higher salaries. It has not been announced as specifically mandatory, with compulsion for employers, but the fact of it’s consideration is problematic, to say the…

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Recently there has been much talk in…

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In a study that will be published in the Journal of Family Psychology, researchers have just discovered that 80 percent of parents in the US do not consider their 18-25 year-old college students to be adults. At least in the group of people they surveyed.

Strangely enough the students had the maturity to agree with their parents assessment, so that’s a start.

The conclusion of the study was…

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A lack of specificity is not something I am normally accused of.

But recently I had a conversation with someone who asked for much more, specifics that is. So here is a bullet-point-specific-article on China, and about what you can expect to see if you have to come here to do HR or recruitment in 2008. It might get you up to speed quicker than a narrative.

If you are from China it might give you some perspective on what…

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I…

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As Grandma used to say ‘Idle hands beget the devil’s work’. Someone below clearly has too much time on their hands. The full image is here.

But it has to be said it’s funny … unless you are from the backwoods and take offence easily.…

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As of writing, the hiring process in China is slowing a little as expatriate managers from multinational companies begin to take their summer holidays. With many decision makers out of town the slowdown will continue until September, when school starts.

Many of the positions that arose after the Chinese New Year bonuses were…

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Over 20 years ago I started my career as an Engineer in the newly emerging IT business, and yes, it was pre-IBM PC.

For many years I listened to reports telling me that the introduction of computers was not having any effect on staff productivity. Pah!, I thought, showing my age. If I was younger I would probably say, Meh!.

Back in the dark ages just before the dawn of the PC I…

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