An Overview of the Job Market in China for Expats

外籍人士在中國(guó)的就業(yè)市場(chǎng)概況

For many expats, what makes China a desired place to seek job opportunities is its position of being the second largest economy in the world. It is predicted that it will be on the top of the list in some years. What China did very well to develop that fast is to focus on being a global player by attracting foreigners and harmonizing their talents with Chinese workforce. None of the countries developed by ignoring the outside market. Neither did China.

對(duì)于許多外籍人士來(lái)說(shuō)，中國(guó)之所以成為一個(gè)理想的就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)來(lái)源，是因?yàn)橹袊?guó)是全球第二大經(jīng)濟(jì)體。據(jù)預(yù)測(cè)，在未來(lái)幾年內(nèi)，它將成為這份名單的首位。中國(guó)在快速發(fā)展方面做得很好，那就是通過(guò)吸引外國(guó)人并使他們的才能與中國(guó)勞動(dòng)力協(xié)調(diào)一致，專(zhuān)注于成為一個(gè)全球性的參與者。沒(méi)有一個(gè)國(guó)家是通過(guò)忽視外部市場(chǎng)而發(fā)展起來(lái)的。中國(guó)也沒(méi)有。

There are unlimited number of job opportunities in China for foreigners especially in first tier cities. The number of workers increased from 180.000 to 950.000 since 1996. No doubt there will be more than 1 million foreigners in a couple of years.

外國(guó)人在中國(guó)有無(wú)限的工作機(jī)會(huì)，特別是在一線城市。自1996年以來(lái)，工人數(shù)量從180,000增加到950,000。毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)，在未來(lái)幾年內(nèi)將會(huì)有超過(guò)100萬(wàn)的外國(guó)人。

Foreign workers are divided into three categories in China. The ones that are in Category A are considered as “highly-talented”. These are the foreigners China wants at most. Foreigners in Category B are mostly the ones with only Bachelor’s Degree. They also have many job opportunities; but they need to be more patient and ambitious while trying to prove they can do more than the local employees. Category C foreigners are very limited. Most of them do not have any degree. There are some job opportunities for them as well, but it is extremely hard for them to find a suitable one.

在中國(guó)，外籍工人分為三類(lèi)。屬于 a 類(lèi)的被認(rèn)為是“高才”。這些是中國(guó)最想要的外國(guó)人。B 類(lèi)的外國(guó)人大多只有學(xué)士學(xué)位。他們也有很多工作機(jī)會(huì); 但是他們需要更多的耐心和雄心壯志，同時(shí)努力證明他們可以比當(dāng)?shù)毓蛦T做得更多。C 類(lèi)的外國(guó)人是非常有限的。他們中的大多數(shù)沒(méi)有任何學(xué)位。他們也有一些工作機(jī)會(huì)，但是對(duì)他們來(lái)說(shuō)找到一個(gè)合適的工作機(jī)會(huì)是極其困難的。

Industry Sectors that Need Foreign Talents

需要外國(guó)人才的行業(yè)

Education

教育

ESL (English as the Second Language) industry needs foreigners at most. The more China develops, the bigger it gets. Chinese people know the importance of learning English; and they are ready to pay the price for it.

ESL (英語(yǔ)作為第二語(yǔ)言)產(chǎn)業(yè)最需要的是外國(guó)人。中國(guó)發(fā)展得越多，就越大。中國(guó)人知道學(xué)習(xí)英語(yǔ)的重要性，他們?cè)敢鉃榇烁冻龃鷥r(jià)。

Due to the high demand for English teachers, there is always thousands of job opportunities for teachers. A professional English teacher who is eligible to get the work visa can find a teaching job anywhere very easily. Teachers who are from native English-speaking countries with 2 years of experience or with a relevant teaching certificate can work in China “l(fā)egally”.

由于對(duì)英語(yǔ)教師的高度需求，教師的就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)總是成千上萬(wàn)。一個(gè)有資格獲得工作簽證的專(zhuān)業(yè)英語(yǔ)教師可以很容易地在任何地方找到一份教師工作。來(lái)自母語(yǔ)為英語(yǔ)的國(guó)家，有2年工作經(jīng)驗(yàn)或有相關(guān)教師證書(shū)的教師可以在中國(guó)“合法”工作。

Depending on the location and the school, English teachers can make 120,000RMB to 300,000RMB annually.

根據(jù)地點(diǎn)和學(xué)校的不同，英語(yǔ)教師每年可以?huà)甑?2萬(wàn)到30萬(wàn)人民幣。

Technology

科技

It is not a secret that China’s focus is technology these years. They give a lot of support for technology companies and want to be the technology hub of the world. First tier cities like Shanghai, Beijing or Hangzhou are always welcoming the foreigners to work on improving technology.

這些年來(lái)，中國(guó)把重點(diǎn)放在技術(shù)上已經(jīng)不是什么秘密。他們?yōu)榭萍脊咎峁┐罅恐С?，并希望成為世界科技中心。像上海、北京或杭州這樣的一線城市總是歡迎外國(guó)人來(lái)改進(jìn)技術(shù)。

An HTML designer can earn between 180,000 to 350,000RMB annually where a Java developer can make up to 550,000RMB.

一個(gè) HTML 設(shè)計(jì)師每年可以賺到18萬(wàn)到35萬(wàn)人民幣，而 Java 開(kāi)發(fā)人員每年可以賺到55萬(wàn)人民幣。

Manufacturing

制造

Heavy industry is not as popular as it used to be; but manufacturing will never end until the end of the humanity. A skilled foreign engineer, accountant or manager can be paid higher than their country and enjoy low cost of living in China.

重工業(yè)不像以前那樣受歡迎了，但是制造業(yè)永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)停止，直到人類(lèi)滅亡。一個(gè)熟練的外國(guó)工程師，會(huì)計(jì)師或者經(jīng)理可以拿到比他們國(guó)家更高的工資，并且在中國(guó)享受低成本的生活。

Foreign engineers can make 300,000RMB to 500,000RMB annually and enjoy free apartment with a private driver.

外國(guó)工程師每年可以?huà)?0萬(wàn)到50萬(wàn)人民幣，還可以和私人司機(jī)一起享受免費(fèi)公寓。

Top Careers in China for Foreigners

外國(guó)人在中國(guó)的頂級(jí)職業(yè)

English teacher

英語(yǔ)教師

As I have mentioned above, there is a very high demand for English teachers in China; but there is not enough teachers to meet this demand. That’s why some schools have no other choice but hiring illegal teachers. Nearly half of 400,000 English teachers in China are considered as “illegal”. These are the ones who are not eligible to get work visa to work as an English teacher.

正如我上面提到的，中國(guó)對(duì)英語(yǔ)教師的需求很大，但是沒(méi)有足夠的教師來(lái)滿(mǎn)足這種需求。這就是為什么一些學(xué)校除了雇傭非法教師別無(wú)選擇的原因。在中國(guó)40萬(wàn)名英語(yǔ)教師中，將近一半被認(rèn)為是“非法”教師。這些人沒(méi)有資格獲得英語(yǔ)教師工作簽證。

IT

China started to export Chinese technology and being a creative IT means a lot to them. On the other hand, they want “smart cities” that adapt technology into daily life. Their demand for talented ITs will definitely be more than now. Anyone who understands technology and who is creative can have a very good career in China.

中國(guó)開(kāi)始輸出中國(guó)的技術(shù)，成為一個(gè)創(chuàng)造性的 IT 對(duì)他們來(lái)說(shuō)意義重大。另一方面，他們希望“智能城市”將技術(shù)應(yīng)用到日常生活中。他們對(duì)人才的需求肯定會(huì)比現(xiàn)在更大。任何懂技術(shù)和有創(chuàng)造力的人都可以在中國(guó)有一個(gè)非常好的職業(yè)生涯。

Translator

翻譯

Even though Chinese people study English, only 10% of them can speak English conversationally. A good translator who can speak Chinese and English, German or Japanese can use his/her talents and enjoy a very high-standard life.

盡管中國(guó)人學(xué)習(xí)英語(yǔ)，但只有10% 的人會(huì)說(shuō)英語(yǔ)。一個(gè)會(huì)說(shuō)漢語(yǔ)、英語(yǔ)、德語(yǔ)或日語(yǔ)的優(yōu)秀翻譯可以發(fā)揮自己的才能，享受高水準(zhǔn)的生活。

Sales Manager

銷(xiāo)售經(jīng)理

A lot of Manufacturing and trading companies want to grow internationally. They need foreigners who know outside market and the differences of business cultures. An experienced sales manager can become one of the key players of these companies very easily.

許多制造業(yè)和貿(mào)易公司都希望實(shí)現(xiàn)國(guó)際化發(fā)展。他們需要了解外部市場(chǎng)和商業(yè)文化差異的外國(guó)人。一個(gè)有經(jīng)驗(yàn)的銷(xiāo)售經(jīng)理很容易成為這些公司的關(guān)鍵人物之一。

Foreign sales managers representing foreign companies with the aim of growing in Chinese market can also be very valuable. There are a lot of companies that need foreigners who can take care of their sales in Chinese domestic market.

代表外國(guó)公司在中國(guó)市場(chǎng)發(fā)展的外國(guó)銷(xiāo)售經(jīng)理也是非常有價(jià)值的。有很多公司需要外國(guó)人來(lái)照顧他們?cè)谥袊?guó)國(guó)內(nèi)市場(chǎng)的銷(xiāo)售。

Engineer

工程師

There are millions of new engineers graduate from universities in China every year; but not many of them are really talented. So, a foreign engineer who can do what locals can’t means a lot for any company. Good computer and mechanical engineers can have better career than anywhere else in the world.

在中國(guó)，每年有數(shù)以百萬(wàn)計(jì)的新工程師從大學(xué)畢業(yè)，但是他們中真正有才華的并不多。所以，一個(gè)外國(guó)工程師能夠做到當(dāng)?shù)厝俗霾坏降氖虑椋瑢?duì)任何公司來(lái)說(shuō)都沒(méi)有多大意義。優(yōu)秀的計(jì)算機(jī)和機(jī)械工程師比世界上任何地方都有更好的職業(yè)生涯。

Accountant

會(huì)計(jì)

There are plenty of accountants in China; but not many of them know much about financial issues in other countries. A foreign account who knows the details of accounting in different countries can find a very good job.

中國(guó)有很多會(huì)計(jì)師，但是他們中的很多人對(duì)其他國(guó)家的財(cái)務(wù)問(wèn)題了解不多。一個(gè)了解不同國(guó)家會(huì)計(jì)細(xì)節(jié)的外國(guó)賬戶(hù)可以找到一份非常好的工作。

Top Manager

高級(jí)經(jīng)理

There are many foreign-owned multinational companies in China. Interestingly, most of them require foreigners for their top management positions. Good thing for top managers is they have more benefits than many other countries in the world. Anyone who has management experience can find his/her dream job in China.

在中國(guó)有許多外資跨國(guó)公司。有趣的是，大多數(shù)公司的高層管理職位都需要外國(guó)人。對(duì)于高層管理者來(lái)說(shuō)，好處是他們比世界上許多其他國(guó)家有更多的好處。任何有管理經(jīng)驗(yàn)的人都可以在中國(guó)找到自己夢(mèng)寐以求的工作。

Conclusion

結(jié)論

As a foreigner who has experienced how much China changed in the last decade, I can easily say there are still a lot of job opportunities for foreign experts and there will always be.

作為一個(gè)經(jīng)歷了過(guò)去十年中國(guó)變化的外國(guó)人，我可以很容易地說(shuō)，對(duì)于外國(guó)專(zhuān)家來(lái)說(shuō)，仍然有很多工作機(jī)會(huì)，而且永遠(yuǎn)都會(huì)有。

In order to be a foreign expat in China, what we need to do is knowing our talent and how we can help this fastest-growing economy in the world. Once we do what we really can do, finding a job in China will not be a hard thing to do.

為了成為一名在中國(guó)的外籍人士，我們需要做的是了解我們的人才，以及我們?nèi)绾文軌驇椭@個(gè)世界上增長(zhǎng)最快的經(jīng)濟(jì)體。一旦我們做了我們真正能做的，在中國(guó)找到一份工作并不是一件困難的事情。