HR challenges

As in the other surveyed Asia markets, "hiring the right staff" and "retaining talent" remained the most critical challenges.

Across all sectors, 48 percent of respondents said recruitment was the greatest challenge, while 27 percent said retention was.

Compared with other surveyed markets, respondents in China most emphasized recruitment over retention. The country also had the highest percentage of firms identifying recruitment as the greatest challenge and the lowest identifying retention.

At 65 percent, the media, public relations, and advertising sector had the most respondents identifying hiring the right staff as the greatest challenge. The market for talented professionals with relevant experience has remained tight, especially at senior levels.

Retaining talent is a major concern for the banking and financial services and the manufacturing sectors. In the banking and financial services sector, 30 percent of companies identified this as their most critical challenge, as did 28 percent in manufacturing. Currently, companies in both sectors are focusing on retaining high performers with specialized skills.

(China Daily May 30, 2008)