Abstract
This chapter speculates on the shape the future of employment for foreigners in Chinese organizations might take. In formulating this future view, the chapter considers emerging political, technological, and demographic trends and assesses their potential impact. The picture that emerges is a complex one that presents both increases in the number of foreign employees Chinese firms will hire as well as decreases. Changes in commercial and political conditions may blunt the ambition of Chinese enterprises overseas and, as consequence, limit the number of foreign staff they hire. At the same time, developments such as the Belt and Road Initiative have the potential to stimulate an increase in the hiring of foreign staff. Developing an accurate or complete assessment is a complex endeavor that involves gauging the magnitude of change associated with any given dimension taking into account factors such as industry, skill, demand, etc.
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Notes
- 1.
Of the agreements signed it is the fifth agreement, the Memorandum of Understanding on the Employment of Filipino Teachers of English Language in China, that is the most relevant.
- 2.
The number of Filipinos working in unofficial capacity in China far exceeds the official number and it is not clear whether these currently unregistered workers will be able to take advantage of the employment opportunities provided for in the agreement.
- 3.
The base compensation amount is specified in a Memorandum of Understanding signed by China’s ambassador to the Philippines, Zhang Jianghua and presented in a statement by Philippine Labor Secretary, Bello III. Reported in: “China’s Deal to Hire 300,000 Filipinos Finalized”, China Daily.com.cn(Forum), April 20, 2018.
- 4.
Note A growing number of firms such as Huawei, ZTE, China Molybdenum Co., China Communications Construction Co. generate more than fifty percent of total revenues from markets outside of China.
- 5.
The “Belt and Road Initiative” has also been referred to as the “One Belt and One Road” program (OBOR).
- 6.
This wide variance in estimates is a function of the stage of development BRI is in, differing levels of confidence in the Initiative’s ability to achieve its stated goals, and the proportion of Chinese employed to local hires.
- 7.
Pakistan’s Applied Economics Research Center and Planning Commission project that over the next 15 years 700,000–800,000 jobs will be created under the CPEC program. In 2018 China’s ambassador to Pakistan claimed CPEC had already created 75,000 jobs for Pakistanis (Toppa 2018).
- 8.
China’s Bureau of Education-sponsored centers dedicated to the promotion of Chinese language and culture.
- 9.
Note In 2016 430,000 returned, 60% more than in 2011.
- 10.
China’s State Council projects that by 2030 more than a quarter of China’s population will be over 60 (nearly double the share in 2010) as referenced in: “China’s Next Debt Bomb Is An Aging Population”, Straits Times, February 6, 2018.
- 11.
The birth rate fell from 12.95 Million per 1000 people in 2016 to 12.43 Million in 2017 (in absolute terms a decrease from 18.5 Million to 17.2 Million) accompanied by a 30% decline in marriages as cited in Chen, M., and Zhuang, L., “China’s Aging Population Worsens as Birth and Marriage Rates Fall”, South China Morning Post, July 16, 2018.
- 12.
The average number of babies born per woman.
- 13.
i.e. The total fertility rate at which a population exactly replaces itself.
- 14.
Memorandum of Cooperation signed during the first Philippines—Japan Conference on Construction as reported in demonstrates a commitment to developing the Philippines construction manpower sector referenced in: Marcelo, Patrizia Paola, “Japan to Train Filipino Construction Workers”, Business World Online, November 25, 2017.
- 15.
The Philippines is home to 400 training programs that graduate 20,000 healthcare practitioners a year, a number greater than that of any other country. The attraction is that they can in some cases earn overseas more than five times what they can earn at home in Trines, Stefan, “Mobile Nurses: Trends in International Labor Migration in the Nursing Field”, World Education News + Reviews, March 6, 2018.
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Ross, P. (2020). A View to the Future. In: Barriers to Entry. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9566-7_10
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