Please click here if you can't read the newsletter 2nd Quarter Newsletter 2017 China Hong Kong Hong Kong hiring 2017: increases in head count and salary Although a slight dip in some industries is expected for 2017 and the unemployment rate seems to remain a stable 3.3... Read More Hong Kong Salary Overview China China companies look to branding to attract talent There is a positive outlook on hiring by Chinese companies in 2017 according to a recent survey conducted by an... Read More China Salary Overview Singapore Singapore’s salary and employment outlook The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has released its fourth quarterly analysis on the labour market situation for... Read More Singapore Salary Overview Thailand Investments in Thailand up by 20 per cent Thailand’s corporate and state enterprises plan to invest more than Bt1 trillion this year, including projects eligible...   Read More Thailand Salary Overview China companies look to branding to attract talent   Job hunters check information at a recruitment fair held in Guiyang, Guizhou province, Fen 14, 2017 (Photo: Xinhau)   There is a positive outlook on hiring by Chinese companies in 2017 according to a recent survey conducted by an international recruiter. The global recruitment specialist took a sample of 3400 employers in Asia in order to find out more about employment trends, salary standards and expected employment growth in popular industries. According to its 2017 China Salary & Employment Outlook, more than half of Chinese companies are planning to boost their budget on headcount this year, and 44% of these companies are willing to increase salaries 6%-10% this year. Moreover, the rising demand for innovative technology and cyber security professionals for the Fintech sector is expected to lead to a 15% salary increment. Because of the need for help on implementation of new solutions and the development of application features, contract employees will be in demand for the Information Technology sector. On the other hand, the salary range in manufacturing and other industrial sectors will continue to stagnate due to a continuous decline in domestic and international demand. The survey also highlights that a significant amount of local companies have evolved into multinational brands over the years and that employee retention and a strong portfolio of business leaders have become important assets across all departments, especially in finance, digital and marketing. As strong candidates are always in demand in China’s candidate-driven market, traditional conditions such as career progression, salary increase, and learning and development opportunities are still essential in order to be able to hire suitable and motivated individuals, and to retain them over time. Next to that, due to fierce competition in acquiring talents, companies have started to put a lot of emphasis on employer branding. According to the survey, over 65% of the companies are aware of the importance of employer branding and have been actively involved in it. Furthermore, 86% of the companies that participated in the survey find it important to deal with diversity. The top three diversity priorities are gender, minority ethnic groups and religion Sources: China Daily.com.cn - http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2017-02/28/content_28370879.htm South China Morning Post - http://www.scmp.com/business/article/2061620/hiring-outlook-bleak-hk-china-2017   The Swiss Chamber of Commerce - Women Success Stories The Swiss Chamber of Commerce invites women who have made it to the top and women with the entrepreneurial spark who are looking to get there to come together, share stories, and be inspired. CHE Chew Chan, Shanghai Branch Manager, JM Gemini Personnel Limited Chew Chan, or CC as she is more commonly known, spent 10 years as a professional athlete, competing at the highest level for the Malaysian national Taekwondo team. The training, drive and determination remains with CC today despite having retired from professional sport in 2010. CC enjoyed an illustrious athletic career that saw her compete in the Beijing Olympics, finishing 7th in her class,  be the first medal winner for Malaysia in the 2009 South East Asia Games as well as being Malaysia's only ever gold medal winner for Taekwondo. At her peak, CC was ranked 6th in the world in her weight division. Following her retirement, as she transitioned back into 'civilian' life, CC remained close to the sport and the Malaysian Olympic Council and travelled throughout Asia and Europe as a motivational speaker, inspiring students and amateur athletes in seminars for schools and Taekwondo Academies. Over the last few years CC has combined her passion for people development and training, moving it away from the sports arena and into the corporate office. Having made a huge transition herself, from professional athletics to the corporate world, CC is focused on developing tomorrow's leaders across Asia and coaching those who find themselves in a period of transition. Based in Shanghai, CC spearheads Gemini Development in China, focusing on leadership development and coaching support for those transitioning in their careers and Outplacement services, and she was recently promoted to Gemini Personnel's Shanghai Branch Manager, focusing on Permanent Recruitment and Executive Search. http://cn.swisscham.org/event/wed-2017-04-19-1830/women-success-stories The Swiss Chamber of Commerce The Swiss Chamber of Commerce is a networking and information platform for Swiss companies in China and Chinese companies interested in Switzerland. Its goal is to gather on a common platform all actors of the Sino-Swiss business community, in order to strengthen the political and economic bonds between the two countries, stimulate interaction and develop business opportunities.   JM Gemini Annual Dinner We enjoyed the annual dinner at Courtyard Marriott Shanghai. All colleagues from our China branches got together for heartfelt reminiscing, good food and lots of fun! We also awarded our best performing consultants and long-service staff.    Top 5 Candidates in China Manufacturing Engineering Senior Manager, Business Unit China  Nationality: Chinese Languages: Chinese, English Based: Shanghai Availability: One month's notice Skills:  Mechanical Engineering background, worked in automotive industry as Project Manager, Program Manager, LEAN Manager, Operations Manager and Manufacturing Engineering Senior Manager during the last 14 years. Now, focuses on full process LEAN deployment, operational excellence, and manufacturing engineering. Willing to build collaboration with team members based on communication, trust, action and result orientation. China General Manager Nationality: Chinese Languages: Native Chinese and fluent English Based: Shanghai Availability: One month's notice Skills: More than 15 years Sales/Marketing/Business Development experience in Chemical industry. Last five years in charge of Asia Pacific Business Development function with a top 500 chemical group.  Solid experience in team building ad people management.  Responsible for Chinese organization’s P&L and strategy.  Operation Director, China Nationality: Chinese Languages: Chinese, English Based: Shanghai/Suzhou Availability: One month's notice Skills:    - Sixteen years working experience in plastic and molding industry, of which nine years in management roles in western multinational companies in automotive industry. - Familiar with operating systems of automotive industrial e.g. TS16949 system, project management, gate procedures, PPAP (Production Part Approval Process) and so on. - Rich management experience e.g. production scheduling, quality and shop-floor management. - Proficiency in LEAN-manufacturing tools, e.g. VSM, 5S, standardized work instruction, Kanban, TPM (Trusted Platform Module), SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Dies) setup reduction, Pull system and production cell, error proofing etc.. - Strong technical practice with plastic part design, tool building and molding capability, also familiar with Moldflow, scientific molding methodology. - Strong problem solving capability e.g. 6-sigma and DOE (Design of Experiments) analysis. - Strong academic background with Polymer Science and Technology. - English as working language, spoken communication, report writing and so on. - LEAN Enterprise, Operational Excellence, Business Process Set-up and Excellence. - Problem solving, 6-sigma DMAIC (an acronym for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control), PDCA (plan-do-check-act, sometimes seen as plan-do-check-adjust) etc. VP of International Business Nationality: United States Languages: Native English, Chinese Based: Beijing Availability: 30 days' notice Skills: 20 years experience in IT & Internet, specializing in product management, competitive strategy, marketing, and social media. A leader by example and a quick learner and highly adaptable leader; nice but influential, excellent communication and interpersonal skills. General Manager, China Nationality: Chinese Languages: Native Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Fluent in English Based: Shanghai Availability: One month's notice Skills:  25 years with international companies and entrepreneurial experiences in multiple industrial sectors: FMCG, services, retail (offline and online), etc. Senior roles for multiple business functions: supply chain, manufacturing, customer business development and account management, product development, compliance and general management. Built strong leadership capabilities for strategy development and deployment, business process redesign and system development, organization design and development. For more details regarding these candidates, please contact cc.che@jmgemini.com Copyright © 2017 Gemini Personnel Limited. All Rights Reserved.