"It is interesting that developing countries, with China and India perhaps in the lead, where the future of the global environment will be decided are now on board with the case for sustainable development." - Maurice Strong, Former under-secretary general of the United Nations

Predictions for 2012 suggest that the most industry growth will happen within the Energy and Natural Resources sector, the Healthcare and Life Sciences sector, and the Manufacturing sector in the Asia Pacific Region, according to the 2012 AESC Industry Outlook Report. Moreover, the report suggests that: "The emerging markets continue to show the strongest need for executive talent with China set to witness the greatest shortage in 2012, followed by Brazil and then India."

The Energy sector appears to be becoming one of the most dominant markets today for China in executive search. With China’s burgeoning population, its thriving economy and its growth in other sectors, where energy consumption and business efficiency are high priorities. Moreover, with surging oil prices, and China’s ever increasing need for energy, it is no wonder that the energy sector has become so important, due to the high demand for energy from other markets which are also expanding, coupled with China’s aims at reducing its carbon emissions and finding a more sustainable way to utilize power.

Furthermore, more opportunities than ever exist in Natural Resources, with Chinese companies now investing huge amounts of capital in this area in an attempt to not only find an energy source which is sustainable, but also to find an energy source which will release China from its dependency on the rest of the world. In the same way, China, like other nations, relies heavily on regions such as the Middle East for the majority of its oil. Therefore, China’s investment in sustainable energy is suggested to stem from not only an urge to reduce its carbon footprint, but also to resist enslavement to unstable oil market prices.

Overall, it remains clear that the executive opportunities in this market will continue to grow. The world, especially a densely populated country like China, will always need energy, and expanding corporations will always need power. China like the rest of the world, has realized that time is running out for fossil fuels, and that the future lies in renewable energy sources. Equally, China is also predicted to have one of the greatest shortages in executive talent in the next few years, suggesting an even larger potential for expatriate employment opportunities. China is dedicated to its objectives for energy independence, and therefore in a relatively nationalized job market, we are likely to see huge changes in the Chinese job market, where skill shortages are predicted to occur, and specialized skills will be in high demand.

The AESC has member executive search firms located throughout China, all with access to your BlueSteps career profile and CV.

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This article was written by Helen Langley of the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC).
 
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