Category HR News Express

China to Revise Job Categories List

China will revise its list of 1,838 different kinds of job categories, which was made by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau and National Statistics Bureau in 1999.

The revision would reflect China’s social structure better and help future workforce analysis and human resources development, said Yin Weimin, the Minister of Human Resources and Social Security and head of the revision committee, said at a ceremony held here Thursday.

As the country developed over the past decade, many occupations faded out while new ones appeared and thus the job list needed to be adjusted accordingly, Yin said.

The revision is expected to be finished in the first half of 2012.

Foreign companies increasing jobs in U.S., Europe

Companies in growing markets like China and India are adding more jobs in North America and Europe, a shift from the usual hiring patterns, says a new study from IBM.

Out today, IBM’s new “Working Beyond Borders” study found that growth in jobs is now moving two ways–from emerging economies tapping into more mature markets as well as the more traditional reverse pattern.

The reason for the trend? As more companies expand globally, they’re hiring people with the creativity, flexibility, and speed needed to help their expansion, prompting them to increase their staffing in North America, Western Europe, and other mature markets.

Specifically, IBM found that 45 percent of companies in India plan to increase their headcount in North America, while 44 percent will expand in Western Europe. And 33 percent of businesses in China are looking to add staff in North America, while 14 percent will boost headcount in Western Europe.

“The silver lining of globalization is that the shift toward expansion will require companies to redirect their workforce to locations that provide the greatest opportunities, not just the lowest costs, and at the same time, re-imagine their management strategies to reflect an increasingly dynamic workforce,” Denis Brousseau, vice president of organization and people for IBM Global Business Services, said in a statement.

Despite this recent trend, much of the increase in hiring over the next three years will still happen in emerging growth regions, such as China, India, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Whichever direction it goes, this new global focus on job growth will force companies to rethink how they attract and manage workers from around the world, according to IBM.
(Credit: IBM)

Beyond the shift in hiring trends, companies are finding that employees with certain “soft” skills, such as social networking and collaboration, can benefit their bottom line. The study showed that companies that outperform financially are 57 percent more likely than underperformers to use social networking and collaboration tools to help their global staff work together more effectively.
To compile its results, IBM interviewed more than 700 chief human resource officers and other senior executives, almost all of them face-to-face, across 61 countries and 32 different industries.

Innovation Shifted To China During The Downturn: U.N. Report

It’s an unfortunate fact of a downturn: declining corporate cash flows and slumping confidence usually induce firms to file fewer patents and slash spending on research and development.

Apparently, China didn’t get the memo.

As much of the world invested fewer resources in innovation during the global downturn, Chinese firms spent more on innovative efforts, such as R&D and patent and trademark applications, according to a report by a UN agency.

On Wednesday, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) said that patent applications in China jumped 18.2 percent in 2008 and another 8.5 percent in 2009. Over the same period, ZTE, China’s second-largest telecom equipment maker, boosted R&D spending 44.8 percent.

In the U.S., patent filings fell 11.7 percent in 2008 and 2009, while companies like General Motors, Hewlett Packard and Microsoft slashed their R&D budget by more than 20 percent from 2008 to 2009. In Europe and Japan new patent filings dropped 7.9 and 10.8 percent, respectively, in 2009.

“China is moving up the value chain and rapidly increasing exports based on domestic innovation, so inevitably it is filing an ever-growing number of patent applications,” WIPO’s Chief told a news conference as the agency announced its latest findings.

China decided years back that it no longer wants to be the sweatshop of the world. The country’s recent investments in innovation at a time when loans and venture capital were sparse reflect its ambitions to become an innovation-oriented nation by 2020.

China’s penchant for patents may partly explain why it’s shifting away from low-cost manufacturing, as the New York Times reports this morning.

Strongest hiring plans forecast by employers in China, Taiwan, India and Brazil; U.S. employers report cautiously optimistic job prospects

According to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey results released today by Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN), hiring expectations in emerging markets — China, Taiwan, India and Brazil — continue to outpace the rest of the world. Meanwhile, employer hiring confidence in European countries is mixed with positive job prospects reported in Germany for the quarter ahead. And although hiring plans in the U.S. are stronger compared to one year ago, the cautiously optimistic hiring pace reported for the next three months indicates economic concerns continue to weigh on the minds of American employers.

“We’re seeing a multi-speed recovery in the global labor market with talent demand in high gear in many of the emerging markets we survey. Other markets, such as the U.S. and Japan, are still moving forward but can’t seem to get out of first gear,” said Jeffrey A. Joerres, Chairman and CEO of Manpower Inc. “Employers in many markets continue to struggle with inconsistent demand for their products and services making it difficult to anticipate staff needs. As a result, a flexible workforce strategy will be critical during this point of the recovery cycle.”

The Manpower data shows employers in 28 of 36 countries and territories expect positive hiring activity in the fourth quarter, with those in five reporting negative hiring expectations — an improvement in comparison to the 12 countries reporting negative outlooks 12 months ago. Globally, employers in 32 countries and territories are reporting stronger year-over-year outlooks, with those in China, Taiwan, India and Brazil indicating the strongest fourth-quarter job prospects. Notably, forecasts from Chinese, Swiss and Taiwanese employers are the most optimistic since Manpower began polling there. The weakest hiring plans for the upcoming quarter are reported in Greece, Italy, the Czech Republic, Spain and Ireland.

Across the Asia Pacific region, year-over-year forecasts improve in each of the eight countries and territories surveyed, with forecasts improving from the third quarter in three. Hiring plans in the region are strongest in China, Taiwan and India. Meanwhile, employer hiring plans in Japan are the most conservative in the region, but they are considerably stronger compared to one year ago.

“Continued strong domestic growth is fueling stronger job prospects in all industry sectors in China and Taiwan from three months ago. As a result, the talent wars are waging again as companies struggle to retain the talent they need,” said Joerres. “In contrast, Indian employers expect to ease the pace of hiring slightly. Interestingly, our data reveals a bright spot in the Japanese Manufacturing sector, where hiring expectations have improved for six consecutive quarters and are the strongest in two years.”

Similar to the third quarter, fourth-quarter hiring expectations remain mixed in the 18 countries surveyed in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. Employers are reporting positive Net Employment Outlooks in 10 countries, but those in 11 expect the pace of hiring to soften from three months ago. However, the year-over-year comparison is more positive with improved Outlooks reported in 15 of 18 countries. Hiring activity in the region is expected to be strongest in Switzerland, Norway and Poland and weakest in Greece and Italy.

“European labor markets have yet to gain real traction due in part to the uncertainty in Greece and Italy. But we are seeing notable improvements across the region in the Finance and Business Services sector, where year-over-year forecasts improve in 15 countries, most notably in Switzerland, Germany and Norway,” said Joerres. “The German labor market continues to be resilient; however lack of talent, especially engineers, healthcare professionals and sales staff, is becoming a real issue for employers in many sectors.”

Across the 10 countries surveyed in the Americas region, employers anticipate varying degrees of positive hiring activity. Outlooks improve in six countries from three months ago, but improve in all countries when year-over-year comparisons are made. Regional hiring plans are again strongest in Brazil, Peru and Costa Rica and weakest in the U.S., where hiring plans are relatively stable from three months ago but are notably stronger than those reported one year ago.

“Hiring confidence has returned to the majority of the region with employers in Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Panama and Colombia reporting their most optimistic plans of the year,” said Joerres. “Brazilian employers in the Services sector continue to create jobs at a rapid pace and in many industry sectors wage arbitrage is becoming an issue for both professional and skilled trades roles. Meanwhile, in the U.S. most of the hiring that was done in the third quarter will be absorbed, yet negative outlooks are reported for just two sectors — Construction and Government. U.S. job seekers can expect to find the most opportunities in the Wholesale & Retail Trade and Mining sectors in the quarter ahead.”

Zhaopin top dramatic adjustments removal of both forces with each other

Sina Technology News on July 26 morning news, human resources service providers Zhaopin (????) staged in one day twice removed. And after this dramatic is the removal of an internal message that CTO, executive vice president of duties, and hours later another e-mail letters from the Board of Directors announced the recall inspired CEO, COO and other executives.

Last Friday afternoon, a hair to Zhaopin name of a company’s e-mail circulated to all staff, announced the lifting of remaining with the CTO with Tong Luo Yihua, vice president, technical director Zhang spring all the duties, be expelled from the company, but did not give specific reasons. In addition, CFO Guo Jianmin Zhaopin announced the company for personal reasons resigned from office.

Announced four executives left off the outside world caused great concern,but more dramatic is the e-mail sent just a few hours after Zhaopin staff has received a letter from the Board of Directors authorized release message, the content is said Zhao Peng CEO, COO Lei Weiming other four other executives leave.

When the first message sent overseas, the SAN has been linked Zhaopin PR, relevant personnel to confirm the authenticity of the message. Then the said company executives and board of directors has been in a meeting, and said second message does not make a comment. But the source said a decision once the company’s internal discussions, the truth will be announced the first time.

Some analysts believe that the message reflects the two main factions to CEO Zhao Peng and Tong, as well as CTO mainly use the contradiction between the factions, which may be the board of directors and investors support. This contradiction caused by a large one of the reasons is the founder of Zhaopin team have long faded, but in the case of foreign-controlled management of easy confusion.

fact this is not the first major personnel changes. Last year in August before the announcement Zhaopin CEO Liu Hao resign from his post, former COO Zhao Peng took over as the new CEO. At that time the industry’s view is that consecutive losses to investors have lost confidence.

Investment in Zhaopin was from Australia and New Zealand’s largest recruitment site SEEK and Australian investment bank Macquarie 110 million U.S. dollars of investment, while the cost of the investment and further diluted share Zhaopin, After the completion of investment now, SEEK, Macquarie and Zhaopin other shareholders structure is 4:3:3.

public information, to December 31, 2008 SEEK shares in Zhaopin close to 56.2%, meaning that SEEK has Zhaopin own initiative. According to Zhao Peng said earlier this year interviewed by the media data, Zhaopin has been achieved in the fourth quarter of profitability. (Tracy)

China adopts more open policy to attract foreign talents

China’s central authorities have set down a more open policy to attract top-notch foreign talents to help promote the economic and social development and global competitiveness of the nation.

According to the newly unveiled National Medium and Long-term Talent Development Plan (2010-2020), the government will work out favorable policies in terms of taxation, insurance, housing, children and spouse settlement, career development, research projects, and government awards for high-calibre overseas talents who are willing to work in China.

Furthermore, the government will also improve the system for giving permanent residence rights to foreigners, explore the potential of a skilled migration program, and work out measures to ensure a talent supply, discovery and appraisal system.

The national plan, a blueprint for creating a highly skilled national work force over the next decade, aims to transform the country from being “labor-rich to talent-intensive.”

Wang Huiyao, vice chairman of Beijing-based China Western Returned Scholars Association, said, “The measures outlined are very attractive. They’ve touched upon various concerns of talents from overseas including personal and career needs.”

“The plan is practical and concrete compared with previous documents,” said Wang, who help draft the plan.

A program to hire 1,000 overseas top-notch specialists initiated in late 2008 was also incorporated into the new plan as one of the 12 key projects to be completed over the next ten years.

By May this year, 662 people have been recruited under the program, which gives priority to leading scientists who are able to make breakthroughs in key technologies, develop high-tech industries and lead new research areas.

Xiao Mingzheng, director of the Human Resource Development and Management Research Center at Peking University said, “It’s preferable to import talents rather than capital or technology.”

“As China strives to adjust its economic growth pattern, it has become more important for it to tap others’ ‘brains’,” he said.

“The new policies reflect China’s open attitude to personnel recruitment – that is, the country not only exports talents to serve the world but also enables foreign talents to serve China’s development,” he said.

China’s efforts to attract overseas talents have gone beyond the central government level.

The country recruited about 480,000 talents from foreign countries, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan last year, according to the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs.

And about 50,000 Chinese officials and professionals went overseas for various training programs last year.

Li Yuanchao, head of the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said earlier this year, “Top-notch talents are crucial for improving the core competitiveness of a country, a region, and a company.”

“Not only should the central government earnestly carry out its talent recruitment program. Local governments should also develop their own programs to create conditions to allow talents to achieve,” he said.

China Hiring Plans Rise to Six-Year High, Survey Shows

Chinese employers’ hiring plans reached a six-year high as a recovery in the world’s third- largest economy and the Shanghai World Expo boosted demand, a private survey showed.

Manpower Inc., the world’s second-largest provider of temporary workers, said 31 percent of employers expect to expand their workforce in the third quarter, citing a survey of 3,607 companies. A measure of the employment outlook rose to the highest since the survey began in 2005, the company said on its website today.

After job losses in the economic slowdown, “the situation seems to be recovering quickly, and many companies are in urgent need of laborers to meet the increased demand,” said Danny Yuan, managing director for Manpower China. “In regions like the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta, employers’ demand for laborers has resulted in a blue-collar labor shortage.”

Higher demand for workers may fuel pay increases that HSBC Holdings Plc said yesterday are “good news” for the economy because they will boost private consumption, putting a floor under growth. Foxconn Technology Group and Honda Motor Co. have raised wages and local governments have announced increases to minimum pay levels.

The expo is boosting demand for services workers, Yuan said.

Global Recruiters’ Confidence On Hiring In 2nd Half Rises

Confidence among recruitment companies around the world about the prospects for hiring rose 11% in the five months to May so that 67% now expect revenue growth in the second half of the year, the Association of Executive Search Consultants said Tuesday.

As a result recruitment companies are expected to hire more staff to handle the increased business, with 48% of those people surveyed for the AESC’s mid- year member outlook report saying they anticipate hiring more consultants in the second half of 2010.

The healthcare and life sciences sector and the energy and natural resources industries are currently the strongest two areas for hiring and are expected to be among those seeing the most growth in the second half of 2010, the AESC report said. The industrial and financial services sectors are also expected to see some of the biggest recoveries this year, it added.

“The latest results are indicative of an industry regaining strength following the downturn,” said Peter Felix, AESC president. “Once again there is talk of a talent shortage in certain industries and functions, even though unemployment levels remain high.”

China, India and Brazil are expected to see the greatest scarcity of talent in the second half of 2010 with 64.9% of those surveyed expecting China to experience a lack of personnel, while 37.8% and 37.2% said they thought India and Brazil, respectively, would experience problems, the report showed.

Those people in employment have become slightly more willing to consider making career moves as a result of the improving jobs market, with 45% of recruiters saying senior executives will consider moving jobs, up from 42% at the end of last year.

Genpact to hire 6,500 in China by 2015

Genpact, the back-office services provider, on Tuesday said it plans to scale up its operations in China and increase its headcount by 6,500 in that market in the next five years.

“China and Japan are an important market for us. It contributes about 10 per cent to Genpacts overall revenue. We plan to take our headcount in China to 10,000 in the next five years,” Genpact CEO Pramod Bhasin told media.

Genpact, at present, has two centres in China which employs about 3,500 people.

The BPO firm today also inked a multi-year deal with Japan’s Hikari Tsushin to provide services to Hikari’s clients in Japan and China.

Genpact had signed the contract with Hello Communications, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Hikari Tsushin to provide customer service, finance and accounting, IT infrastructure support and back office processing to Hikari.

“The deal with Hikari will allow us to further expand our footprint in the Chinese and Japanese markets,” Bhasin said.

He added that the tenure of the deal could be 3-5 years, however, he declined to share details about the size of the deal.

Shigetaro Toyoda, CEO of Hello Communications said, “The integration of the sales and marketing skills of Hikari Tsushin and Genpact’s services will enable a faster time-to- market and lower operating costs.”

‘Monster’ job site heavyweight help to ChinaHR

Beijing: In 2008 the US-based online job company Monster Worldwide Inc made headline news when it acquired all of ChinaHR.com, paying $174 million for a remaining 55 percent stake in the Chinese recruitment site.

The acquisition enhanced the strength of the local website and cemented its hold on the No 2 position in China’s online recruitment market.

A ccording to leading domestic consultant company IResearch, ChinaHR.com’s online recruitment income accounted for 17.9 percent of the industry’s total last year. And it is expected to have stronger growth in the next few years, market observers say.

Further success and growth is expected in the years ahead because “Monster is committed to being at the pioneer in service technology and innovation in the sector”, said Sal Iannuzzi, company chairman and CEO.

As well, Monster’s global network gives ChinaHR.com a big boost because it is the only online recruitment company in the nation with a well-developed international talent database.

Cutting edge

Service, innovation-centered strategy and the global reach of Monster have all spurred ChinaHR’s development, Iannuzzi said, noting its patent semantic “6Sense TM” search technology delivers precise matches to both job seekers and employers.

Standard key word search technology might cause a company that needs a veteran accountant to wade through resumes from people who worked as an accountant decades ago – but are now singers, salespeople or teachers.

With technology powered by Monster’s 6Sense, recruiters can quickly and precisely find and target candidates who best meet their hiring needs, the CEO said.

The technology also enables job hunters to better fulfill their ambitions.
Iannuzzi said the technology can also significantly help people who have ambitions for a job transition between two disparate industries, a difficult search task for other online sites.

The combination of media, offline recruitment and campus recruitment all give ChinaHR an edge, he said.

Campus recruitment by ChinaHR.com, a key component of its business, has won applause from not only customers in China but also internationally.

Iannuzzi said Monster is promoting ChinaHR’s approaches of campus recruitment to its branches throughout the world.

“We are keen on listening to our customers and offering tailored services to fulfill their needs efficiently,” the CEO noted.

As well, resources from Monster in some 60 countries globally offer ChinaHR an advantage in aiding China’s State-owned enterprises (SOEs) scout talent overseas.

As China has begun to encourage more SOEs and banks to branch out overseas, they face a challenge finding senior professionals.

An example was a bank last year. It took only three weeks for ChinaHR to find 14 qualified overseas professionals it needed.

Before such a search may have cost the bank millions of yuan by hiring senior consultant companies to travel overseas for months at a time.