E-commerce and mobile internet experts in demand on mainland
IT experts specialising in high-demand fields could earn 30pc more on the mainland than their peers in developed markets, say job firms
Experienced managers in online marketing, e-commerce and mobile internet operations are expected to be the most in-demand information technology executives in mainland China this year.
Train Luo, the managing partner for China at the New York-based executive search firm CTPartners, said the high demand for these senior managers is likely to result in higher salaries being offered to those tapped for positions on the mainland compared with those in North America or Europe.
"The compensation level could be 10 to 30 per cent higher than in developed markets, including stock options," Luo said. "Companies are racing to tap into new online consumer markets, but are finding it exceptionally hard to find experienced professionals who understand the complex Chinese consumer market and new mobile technology, and how to pull all of that together."
According to CTPartners, the five "most-wanted" senior technology executives on the mainland this year are vice-president of online marketing, head of e-commerce, head of mobile internet, vice-president for research and development on "cloud" technology and country general manager for enterprise technology in storage and security software.
The most active sectors searching for those executives include internet, enterprise technology, consumer goods and retail, and financial services.
Luo said the top seven executive search firms on the mainland earn up to US$20 million a year in retainers to help multinational companies and large domestic enterprises fill their technology-related senior management vacancies.