China emerges as a land of opportunity for middle managers

THE MAINLAND'S continuing economic expansion offers tremendous opportunities for people keen to further their careers, according to Robert McNabb, chief executive of Futurestep, a Korn/Ferry International subsidiary that handles recruitment outsourcing.

'There are wonderful opportunities for expats to move to China, with the possibility of promotion and higher incomes,' he said. Mr McNabb is responsible for overseeing the operations of more than 30 offices in North America, Europe and Asia.

'I meet clients around the world and they all have expansion plans in China,' he said. 'Companies are no longer going there just to set up a business and export; they also want to sell to the domestic market.'

This is good news for job seekers and recruitment consultants who, to a certain extent, are still coming to terms with the restructuring of the economy and the needs of a fast expanding service sector.

Paul McGrory, managing director at Futurestep in Hong Kong, said: 'When we work with multinationals, they are looking for managerial experience in the private sector. However, the talent pool from which to recruit is small and finding people is a highly competitive business.'

Demand for middle managers is high in every industry and engineers, in particular, are in short supply.