In the "April 2011 Worry-Free Index: Bohai Bay Edition," we focused on the urgent recruitment needs of three major industries—IT, machinery manufacturing, and commercial imports/exports—during the "Golden March, Silver April" period. Now, as we move into the recruitment off-season following the "Golden September, Silver October," the main cities within the Bohai Economic Rim have begun to slow down their hiring pace. Is the talent recruitment situation in the Bohai region "declining"? And which industries still hold promise for us?
According to data from the Worry-Free Index (www.51job.com), in October 2011, the total number of job postings online in the six most representative cities within the Bohai Economic Rim—Beijing, Tianjin, Tangshan, Dalian, Qingdao, and Jinan—was 416,873, accounting for 82.2% of the total online job postings in the two municipalities and three provinces (Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Liaoning, Shandong) where the Bohai Economic Rim is located, and representing 20.2% of the national total of online job postings. In this article, we will take a broad view of the talent demand status within the Bohai Economic Rim through these six major cities, delving deeper into the details.
The Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan area, led by Beijing, Tianjin, and Tangshan, is the core region of the Bohai Economic Rim. The number of online job postings in these three areas accounts for 81% of the six cities, making them the "barometer" of the Bohai Economic Rim. As talent demand gradually enters its off-season, the online job posting numbers in various industries in the Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan area show mixed results, with the once "thriving" talent demand no longer as strong. On the other hand, high-end talents with specialized skills remain unaffected by the seasonal fluctuations, and companies continue to seek them out with great enthusiasm.
**Beijing: Overall Recruitment Demand Slows Down**
According to data from the Worry-Free Index (www.51job.com), the overall recruitment situation in Beijing slowed down in October. The number of online job postings was 308,687, showing a slight decline of 1.72% compared to September. Among the functions, accounting/finance/banking/insurance, advertising/marketing/media/art, and construction/real estate saw the largest declines, falling by 2.95%, 2.88%, and 2.44%, respectively. However, the biological/pharmaceutical/medical/nursing function maintained a small upward trend of 0.32% amidst the general market downturn.
1. **Two Different Worlds in Financial Recruitment**
Although the number of online job postings for the accounting/finance/banking/insurance function decreased by 2.95% month-over-month, the demand for accounting/auditing continued to rise within the entire financial industry, despite a modest increase of only 0.69%. This is much better compared to the banking sector's decline of 9.26% and the insurance sector's decline of 13.51%. As year-end approaches, many companies are entering their year-end auditing phase, making accounting/auditing professionals highly sought after by both companies and accounting firms.
At two recent job fairs held in Beijing, multiple enterprises and accounting firms increased the number of accounting positions they were recruiting for. A recruitment manager from an accounting firm at one of the job fairs said: "Due to the recent increase in business volume, and also to prepare for next year's development, our company plans to hire a batch of suitable talents at year-end. This is also a good opportunity to test new employees' business proficiency and adaptability through year-end work."
2. **Vigorously Developing the Cultural and Creative Industry and Strengthening the Cultivation and Introduction of High-End Talents**
In recent years, China's cultural industry has steadily increased its share of GDP. From 2004 to 2010, the annual average growth rate of the national cultural industry added value exceeded 23%. In 2010, the added value of the national cultural industry surpassed 1.1 trillion yuan, accounting for 2.75% of the country's GDP. In some provinces and cities, the added value of the cultural industry accounted for more than 5% of the regional GDP, becoming a pillar industry in those areas.
According to Mei Song, Director of the Beijing Cultural and Creative Industry Promotion Center, the added value of Beijing's cultural and creative industries has surpassed real estate, wholesale and retail, business services, transportation, and other industries, becoming the second-largest pillar industry in the tertiary sector after the financial industry.
From the data of the Worry-Free Index, in October, the online recruitment demand for computer software, advertising, and film/media/art industries in Beijing showed a slight decline. However, the online recruitment demand for text media/publishing, academia/research, and online games industries remained stable or even increased. Notably, the academic/research industry experienced a significant surge, with the number of online job postings increasing by 30.12% month-over-month.
In March 2011, the Beijing municipal government allocated 55 million yuan to support the construction of the Zhongguancun Talent Special Zone. On November 9, 2011, a batch of key construction projects started in the Zhongguancun Science City. Subsequently, the "Development Plan for Zhongguancun Science City (2011-2015)" was released in Beijing. According to the plan, Zhongguancun Science City aims to gather 30,000 world-class high-end talents within five years, build a number of world-class research institutions, and cultivate internationally leading high-tech leading enterprises. As a key aggregation area for Beijing's cultural and creative industries, IT remains the main pillar industry of Zhongguancun. According to the Worry-Free Index data in October, the total number of online job postings in Beijing's computer/internet/telecommunications/electronics sector reached 694,000, far exceeding other cities in the Bohai Economic Rim. Specifically, the computer hardware and computer service industries saw increases of 1.39% and 1.57%, respectively, in their online job postings in October compared to the previous month.