30/04/2009 International managers in China have to acknowledge some unpleasant facts. The global economy has ratcheted down. We're not likely to see overseas demand return to 2007 levels for a very long time – if ever. The hottest markets in China are no longer in the glittering showrooms of super-luxury international brands. The real action will be in the boring suburbs and 3rd tier cities – and the buyers will be the REAL Chinese middle class who probably don't care much if Tiger Woods and Pierce Bronson are sporting the same watch or driving the same car. They will be spending their limited disposable income on their kids' education, their parents' health care and their family vacations.
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April 30, 2009
The New Normal in China
Superstructing
30/04/2009 You are facing an existential threat to your company, and as Human Resources Manager you have taken what you believe are the necessary steps to confront that threat.
But you are not sure if it is enough.
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March 27, 2009
Only pay for the CV's you need from as little as 26 cents (RMB1.75) per CV
27/03/2009 Spring Greetings!
This spring, you can download CV's from as little as 26 cents (RMB1.75) per CV, that's a discount of 65%.
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Will HR read your CV
27/03/2009 Despite what's happening in the rest of the world, March and April in China is the peak period for hiring and people changing jobs. However, most jobseekers let themselves down with poorly constructed resumes that fail to highlight their achievements in the most positive way to potential employers. They fail to get noticed and are passed over by someone who knew how to brand themselves more appropriately.
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Good News on Job Losses
27/03/2009 Things are still in a downward spiral in China in terms of job losses, exports, housing prices, stock prices and so on, but there are small, but hopeful signs of a pickup in the US, where most of those exports end up.
The good news is that the final customer may be opening his wallet in the not too distant future.
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So, You Are Considering ‘The Tactical Redeployment’
27/03/2009 The financial numbers from within China are starting to diverge from the numbers about China – which is a pretty bad sign. If the politicized World Bank is saying PRC growth rates in ‘09 will be 6.5%, then we’d best start bracing for sub-5. At least in the US we’re getting bored with the whole story. That AIG outrage was probably the last gasp of righteous indignation. Any day now, it’ll all turn out to be all Geithner’s fault, and we’ll start our post-bailout recovery, just like after the S&L apocalypse of the 80’s & 90’s. We’ve mortgaged our children’s future before – and for less too.
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February 2, 2009
Tips for Expatriates who are interested in working in China
2/02/2009 Lately I have been contacted by many Expatriate job seekers who are looking for an opportunity to work in China. Many of them asked what I recommend them to do, and here are things that I usually write them:
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January 22, 2009
Lewisian Turning Point
22/01/2009 I was recently asked how the Lewisian Turning Point works, and how it is connected with the current hiring slowdown in China. (Or at least is proposed as one of many potential causes of the current slowdown.)
Scouring the net for graphs that illustrate the Lewisian Turning Point produces flowers called Lewisia. Finally, I found a graph, and this gets us half-way.
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Demographic shifts right under our noses
22/01/2009 Plenty of expat managers in Shanghai still seem to be thinking that maybe this will all go away if we close our eyes and wait a while. Well – something is certainly happening, but it’s not an economic recovery. It’s a set of demographic shifts that is going to affect your choice of target markets.
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December 9, 2008
China’s Salary Deflation Risk
9/12/2008 For the past twenty years, overseas companies have largely been seeking low material and labor costs in China.
China’s contribution has been to build a very good infrastructure, called Free Trade Zones (FTZs), that allow for easy production and delivery of goods to other countries. That this model has been successful so far is obvious, but this success has its downside.
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