Many hats make merchandising attractive

HONG KONG HAS a reputation for being a world leader in many areas, and sourcing any kind of product has to be one of them.

Despite the loss of a manufacturing sector which has uprooted and moved swiftly across the border, the merchandising industry is still very much alive, with the import/export trade now employing one in five people in Hong Kong.

For candidates looking to move into merchandising, the roles on offer are certainly diverse - sourcing, quality control and assurance, product management, engineering, sales, customer service and client relations all fall under this umbrella.

According to the Census and Statistics Department's latest quarterly figures, the import/export trade - representing 96,834 companies in Hong Kong - employed 490,700 people as of last December and offered 4,470 job vacancies. While the total employment level was marginally less than the same time in 2002, in terms of job vacancies, the sector recorded an increase of 48.1 per cent over December 2002 figures.

Merchandising roles now account for about 10 per cent to 15 per cent of staffing company Adecco's general recruitment business in Hong Kong. In Adecco's Guangzhou office, they represent 25 per cent of the jobs on offer. Adecco's job orders in this category have increased by 15 per cent to 20 per cent this year over last year, which has led the company to launch a dedicated merchandising division in Kowloon.

'We have specialised divisions in IT, logistics and banking, so we have decided that as the need in merchandising continues to grow, we need more dedicated staff to look after it,' said Helene Krieff, general manager at Adecco Personnel for Hong Kong and China.

'We do foresee the same growth [this year]. From last year there has been a definite jump in demand. What makes merchandising more important is Hong Kong has people continuing to set up merchandising and trading companies. The majority demand is in the textiles industry, toys and electronic devices, and jewellery.'

While this is good news for job seekers - particularly those with a track record in these sectors - the cost-cutting desires driving companies today are creating a strong preference for certain types of candidate, namely multitaskers. As a simple fact of working in today's economy, job candidates with several strings to their bow will be more sought after than those with one.

Merchandising is no different in this regard, and Ms Krieff warned that candidates had higher expectations than ever.

'Employers are becoming more demanding and are looking for a multi-skilled flexible workforce. Requirements are tougher than in the past. In the past, merchandisers did not need that much education. If they had experience in the job, that experience was enough. Now, English and Putonghua are needed, a good education, as well as experience,' Ms Krieff said.

She said that someone looking for a straightforward merchandiser position should be prepared to wear plenty of hats. A merchandiser would not only be required to source materials, they would need to monitor the manufacturing process, liaise with clients, demonstrate excellent communication skills, and have frequent contact with quality control and quality assurance people to make sure the goods were in line with requirements. In the past, the same job role would have focused on sourcing and purchasing alone.

Sales people are always in demand in merchandising, as are those with specialist skills. Quality assurance and control professionals are becoming increasingly difficult to find in the garment and textile industry, and those with solid experience should be prepared to be heavily courted by Hong Kong employers.

In most, if not all, cases, language skills are essential. Most of the jobs in this sector will be based in China and those that are based in Hong Kong will definitely require frequent travel there.

Christine Pace, Adecco's sales and marketing director for Hong Kong and China, said candidates who could speak both English and Chinese, would always be most in demand.

'A good merchandiser with five years' experience [and proficiency in] English and Putonghua - these kinds of people will get a job within two or three days of looking,' she said.

Salary-wise, while employers appeared to be expecting more from candidates, they were not always willing to pay more for them, Ms Krieff said. 'In terms of salaries, there was a freeze on that last year for merchandisers in lower positions, but we have seen some increases for senior positions, say between 10 and 15 per cent,' she said.

For low- to senior-level positions, salaries can range between $8,000 and $45,000. An assistant merchandiser for a foreign company with offices in Hong Kong can expect about $10,000. A visual merchandiser that specialises in high-end casual wear can expect about $20,000, while those at management level - sourcing and procurement managers - will earn $40,000 and above.

The starting salaries certainly will not see job candidates trotting down to the local Porsche garage. But multitaskers with language skills are a rare bunch, and that fact alone will put them in very good stead in the future, when their employers are trying to prevent them from being snatched by competitors.

'At some point employers will have to adapt. You may find people who can wear different hats but these people will be in demand themselves and then they need to think about retaining them,' Ms Krieff said.

What to expect

Language skills are essential - namely English, Cantonese and Mandarin

Prepare to wear many hats and stress how flexible you can be

Most demand from textile, toy, electronic device, and jewellery sectors

Salary ranges from $8,000 to $45,000

Frequent travel is expected - as is possible relocation