Without the knowledge of people and ghosts, the traditional "golden October" recruitment peak has passed, and the job market has entered the recruitment off-season. In October, the number of job postings online on Qiancheng Wuyou was 2,067,524, a reduction of 41,180 positions compared to the previous month in Dongguan. The total number of positions in the four major first-tier cities decreased by more than 22,000, accounting for about 54% of the total reduction. Looking at the recruitment situation across industries, the top ten industries all showed different levels of decline in their online job postings. The table below compares the changes in job postings for the top ten industries between September and October. It can be seen that although the computer software industry ranks second in terms of online job postings, it experienced the highest decline. The electronics/semiconductors/integrated circuits industry ranked second in terms of job reductions, marking its fourth consecutive month of declining demand.
The real estate recruitment sector has entered a cold season. October should have been the time for real estate companies to reap bountiful harvests, but this late autumn saw China's real estate market enter an "Ice Age." According to the third-quarter performance reports of 144 listed real estate companies already released, net profit declined by over 30%, while inventory reached 1.22 trillion yuan, a significant increase of 41.86% compared to 0.86 trillion yuan in the third quarter of 2010. Under heavy pressure, statistics from incomplete data on property transactions in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Chongqing show that there has been a surge in real estate companies or projects listed for sale on property exchanges, with over 600 listings this year compared to fewer than 300 during the same period last year.
In addition to the cooling down of real estate developers, real estate agents are also struggling. According to the "Daily Economic News," following the closure of nearly one-third of the stores of Shenzhen real estate intermediaries such as Shihua and Zhonglian, even the industry leader Centaline Property could not remain unscathed, initiating layoffs and store closures. Centaline Property's General Manager for South China, Li Yaohui, stated that 60 stores would temporarily cease operations, resulting in approximately 1,000 employees leaving.
According to the Qiancheng Wuyou Index data for October, the online job postings in the real estate development industry ranked third among all industries, but the recruitment momentum has slowed. However, this may just be the beginning. Industry experts predict that within five years, only 10% of Chinese real estate companies will survive, with a large number of real estate companies going bankrupt.
Faced with the cold winter, should companies huddle together to survive, transform, or start anew? Each company has its own plan. This time, winter is truly here.
The hiring prospects for the manufacturing industry are not optimistic. The latest research results from the Boston Consulting Group in the United States show that with the increasing cost advantage of "Made in America," the U.S. will add 2 to 3 million jobs in the next five years. Studies found that the most likely manufacturing industries to return to the U.S. include transportation vehicles, electronic equipment and devices, furniture, plastics and rubber products, machinery, metal products, and computers. These categories account for nearly 70% of goods imported from China to the U.S., consuming around $2 trillion annually.
The German automotive parts supplier Continental AG recently announced plans to invest approximately $500 million to build a factory in the U.S. to produce car and truck tires for the American market, creating an estimated 1,600 new jobs. ABC News commented that for tire companies that have consistently moved out of the U.S. over the past decade, this decision marks a significant turning point in the industry.
Focusing on domestic recruitment, the hiring efforts of foreign manufacturing companies in China will significantly weaken due to rising costs. No one wants to increase the risks associated with transportation and inventory.
If the rise in raw material prices and labor costs were the mountains pressing down on China's manufacturing industry over the past two years, then the relocation of American manufacturing back to the U.S. is undoubtedly the straw that broke the camel's back. The current state of China's manufacturing industry is: low-end industries are starting to shift to Southeast Asia, while high-value-added industries are moving to more efficient developed countries, such as returning to the U.S. If China's manufacturing industry cannot break free from its reliance on frontline operators as the primary value contributors, it will have no future. The long-awaited industry transformation and pain have finally arrived, making life even tougher for domestic manufacturing companies.
During the recruitment off-season, campus recruitment remains popular. Compared to the usual quiet recruitment, this year’s campus recruitment remains vibrant. Compared to previous years, companies are being more generous with their recruitment offers, and hiring thousands of people at a time is no longer uncommon.
Tencent launched its 2012 campus recruitment campaign as early as September, planning to recruit more than 2,000 college talents globally. Tencent sent out a recruitment team of hundreds of people to visit universities in Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Wuhan, Hong Kong, and overseas locations like the U.S. and Singapore.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) announced plans to hire approximately 15,000 graduates and experienced employees over the next five years. Among these, more than 2,000 campus recruitment slots are reserved for the 2012 graduating class.
After National Day, companies like Taobao, ASUS, and Canon (China) will also enter campuses to "snatch" talent.
Sina's 2012 campus recruitment team is conducting activities in nine key cities nationwide, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Nanjing, and Harbin, visiting 16 prestigious universities and recruiting 1,000 outstanding graduates nationwide. Notably, Sina Weibo has become the main platform for interaction between enterprises and students during this campus recruitment. Throughout the entire recruitment period, Sina Campus Recruitment will release official accounts and interact with students through various formats such as micro-topics, micro-groups, and micro-interviews to answer questions.
The bustling campus recruitment continues, and students should seize opportunities rationally. On one hand, students should not focus solely on high salaries while ignoring their career plans; on the other hand, they should not aim too high, expecting to reach management positions immediately. There is no such thing as the best job—only the most suitable one.