Overrated Statements about Employment in China

Overrated Statements About Employment in China

China is, to coin a cliché, the fastest growing economy in the world. It has surpassed even Germany’s economy in the global rankings. But to keep that economy going, to keep the businesses and multinational investments coming, China needs talented people. Unfortunately, for all of China’s size, there is still a large gap in terms of corporate leadership and management. Experienced talent is still, in a sense, a precious commodity.

This is where expatriate employees come in. Many major multinationals for example, bring in expatriate employees, or expats, to handle their China operations. Foreign consultants make a killing as they are in great demand, especially those with strong credentials such as MBAs or other advanced degrees.

But before you suddenly get the urge to go to China to bring your career to the next level, there are a few statements about foreign employment which must be debunked lest you get burned in the process.

1.) If you Speak Chinese, you got a Job – Speaking Chinese fluently makes you a much better candidate for nearly any position in China. But that doesn’t mean you are guaranteed one. It just increases your chances. Remember that a foreigner speaking Chinese is good, but there are 1.3 billion other people who can speak Chinese in China. It’s your skills, ALONG with your Chinese language abilities that make you valuable and which can ensure you a job. So don’t neglect the management lesson for Chinese language classes. You need both to succeed.

2.) Connections make or break your career. – The Chinese concept of guanxi or mutually beneficial connections is important in any career, as it is a part of the corporate culture. However, the emphasis placed on this concept is overblown by the many books on the subject matter which say guanxi is all you need to succeed in China. It will help if you do know the nephew or niece of a particular public official, but that doesn’t mean that connection will solve all your problems for you.

James McGregor, author of One Billion Customers: Lessons From the Front Lines of Doing Business in China, traces this overemphasis on guanxi to the complexity of the Chinese system and the need for a “silver bullet” to cut through all the red tape and difficulties. He thus warns that one should not be “too dependent on guanxi or on a single government official.”

3.)Foreign employees are indispensable – Just because you are a foreign employee in China does NOT mean you will always be on the payroll. Because of the sheer expense of hiring foreigners, companies tend to keep expats in the area only until they can train the next generation of employees, who are usually native Chinese, to take over the operations. The native Chinese are cheaper, tend to be more loyal to the company, and are a better investment than keeping expats on. Especially since expats tend to bloat the salary budget of the company.

It’s like the NBA salary cap. Sooner or later, the basketball team has to get rid of the superstar player whose salary overwhelms their budgets. It only makes good economic sense to adjust accordingly by getting cheaper people who can do the same job.

4.) Your advanced degree makes you irreplaceable. – Holding an MBA or a PhD makes an expat employee valuable, especially as a consultant. But China has thousands of qualified native Chinese with similar credentials. China’s top universities, such as Tsinghua University and Peking University, regularly churn out excellent job candidates with advanced degrees.

Note that some of those people with MBAs or PhDs come from Western universities as well. China’s talent pool, education-wise, is a vast sea MBAs, PhDs and M.A.s from all over.

So Is China Still an Option?
Just because you are a foreigner employed in China, doesn’t mean that you have job security, nor does it mean that if you go to China now, you can get a job easily. China’s job market is as crowded as those in a developed country. Some would say it’s even more crowded, considering that one is, in a sense, easily replaceable.

Should one still go and find work in China then? I say yes. As someone who did go and find work there as a training consultant a few years ago, I would definitely say it was a great experience. Well worth the difficulty of getting a foot in.

Just don’t expect any job you find there to be permanent. Look at it as a stepping stone instead, as something temporary, and you will find that you will be a lot happier emotionally, and perhaps even more successful in the long run.