Editor's Note:

China has been a beacon for foreign job-seekers in recent decades, although higher employer expectations and an influx of English-speaking Chinese graduates returning to their home country have made the labor market more competitive. Demand for qualified foreign experts remains strong, as proven by a proposed five-year visa to lure talent from abroad. But are the days of expats pursuing their dream careers in China numbered? Two Cents invited three foreigners working in China to share their thoughts on challenges facing the country's expat labor market and emerging opportunities.

Skills more important than language ability

By Mark Johnson

Since joining the World Trade Organization in 2001, China's economy has arguably grown faster than any other country in modern history. But such rapid development has inevitably ushered in major changes to the labor market.

I first came to China in 2011 as a sort of trailing boyfriend. Having no idea what I wanted to do, I initially taught English. However, as time went by I decided to look for a job that would expand my skills and challenge me.

This is where my experience may differ from some. Although I came to China without any clear indication of what I could do, I had six years' experience as a political campaigns manager and adviser to a member of the European Parliament. In many ways, my skill set superseded my need to master speaking Chinese.

However, I still needed to find a way to tell this story convincingly. I learned employment opportunities promoted at job fairs and online often turned out to be questionable at best. Then there were the opportunities at major global companies, where typically a 19-year-old human resources associate would reject my CV as soon as she saw I didn't speak Chinese.

The reality is that companies are dying for talented foreigners with or without spoken Chinese skills. What I found is that you have to be proactive, almost to a fault.

I decided to send an e-mail stating my experience briefly and asking for an "information interview" to all companies that interested me. Out of the six I e-mailed, all agreed to see me.

Not speaking Chinese or lacking work experience does not mean you cannot be successful in China. Once you have been invited by a boss to see them, even in the context of an "information interview," there is only one question they are interested in asking: what can you bring to their company? The rest, as they say, is down to you.

China's expat labor market is, like many things in the country, confusing at best. It is both "old" and "new" in one broad stroke. But employers need skilled professionals, and this will only increase in the future.

My experience has taught me that you have to be proactive and not necessarily follow the traditional routes you would back home. While aspects like guanxi (personal connections) are important to a certain extent, the labor market will increasingly demand skilled foreign professionals. Those jobs will be there for the taking by people who are driven, creative and see the value they can bring to a company in China.

Nepotism still rife, but fading at last

By Sava Hassan

Prior to coming to China in 2003, I had a long and heated discussion with my friends about my chances of landing a suitable position that reflected my qualifications. I was bluntly told that my chances of fulfilling my dreams were next to none.

They justified their reasoning by emphasizing I was not born in Canada, despite the fact that I've lived most of my life there. They also alluded to my lack of connections by reciting the adage, "It's not what you know, but who you know."

Fortunately for me, one professor recommended me to the president of a university. After arriving in China, I was told the recommendation of my benefactor was the only reason I was hired as an English teacher. I was tempted to quit and return to Canada then and there, but I stayed due to my belief I could help my students.

As I settled in China, I began to observe people's conduct and behavior. I closely interacted with my students to familiarize myself with their thoughts and beliefs.

I was amazed to discover that most of my students were cynical about finding suitable employment after graduation.

I attempted to figure out the reasons for their negative attitudes. They emphasized that regardless of their grades, efforts or fields of expertise, they would not be able to land desired positions unless they or their parents knew someone in senior positions of a government agency or work unit.

After finishing my first teaching assignment, I realized that I needed a glowing recommendation from my previous employer to get a better teaching job. It would also make matters much easier if I knew someone at the school of my choice.

I discussed the issue with many foreigners and Chinese colleagues. Unfortunately, they confirmed my suspicion that I needed strong guanxi to survive in China.

Their suggestions differed, with one even suggesting I marry someone high up in a company to guarantee job security.

I have noticed a slight change in Chinese attitudes when it comes to the hiring process. Companies and schools are now more inclined to focus on a candidate's experience, rather than their connections or racial background.

One must be wise enough to realize that changes take time to bear fruit. Slowly but surely, nepotism will diminish with time in China's employment sphere.

Fortunes changing for foreign workers

By Geoffrey Murray

My students sometimes ask me in awe how I have worked abroad for such a long time. I worked across Asia from Iran to Japan before arriving in China 22 years ago. So, does that mean it's easy for a foreigner to work in China?

It depends what you mean by "work." There are still jobs available, but I doubt they add up to a long-term career.

When I first arrived in Beijing, I lived in the Friendship Hotel and took my meals in the "Foreign Experts Dining Room" - full of many nationalities largely in the teaching or media professions. Such "experts" are now scattered all across the metropolis, if they exist at all.

China's needs are changing as its economy grows ever stronger. For example, the government is currently working on creating a new five-year work visa for expats, which signals a big improvement on the present "one-year, maybe renewable" arrangement for most foreign workers.

However, the targets of such permits seem certain to be those with specialized, high-tech skills of major benefit to modern China, and they may simply pop in and out of the country as their work demands rather than living here full-time.

There may still be a place for the old-style "foreign expert" of the type I drank beer with at the Friendship Hotel two decades ago, but they don't represent the future.

Young people often work in China to gain linguistic skills or cultural knowledge that might look good on a future job application. By contrast, older people often find coming here is a good way to prolong a career that dried up back home.

Certainly, teaching at a top Beijing university has extended my working life.

I'm grateful for that, even though it means an annual period of concern over whether my contract - and visa - will be renewed.

It's significant that most of the foreigners I now work with come only for a year or so and then go home or move on elsewhere as part of the next step in their careers. There is no longer any special aura about being a foreigner working in China.

A change in that type of thinking is long overdue, and could be good for foreigners as well as China.