1. Prepared by en world group
Manager mobility trends
in Asia Pacific
The important role a recruitment agency plays
in bringing the right talent to employers
2. Introduction
Asia Pacific is one of the fastest growing regions in
terms of economics. It is also a region with a highly
diverse range of mid to senior level personnel. This
report, commissioned by en world, shows several
issues related to workforce mobility and migration in
Australia, Japan, Korea, India, Thailand, Singapore, and
Vietnam in 2016. Gaining an insight of these trends will
provide the tools to formulate effective recruitment and
retention plans and strategies.
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3. Index
Introduction
Key takeaways
The biggest obstacles facing personnel wishing to work in other countries
The two most attractive countries to work in
The important role of recruitment agencies
Dominant, diversified qualities and skills of survey respondents
Countries likely to face the brain drain
Corporation & job seeker recommendation
Methodology
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5. Most important findings
50%of respondents in the 7
countries surveyed
said they would
choose Singapore as
their preferred country
to work in.
44%of respondents said
they would bring their
families with them
when they emigrated.
38%of respondents said
they would need three
months from the date
of receiving an offer to
prepare to work
overseas.
49%of respondents said
they would ask
domestic recruitment
agencies to help them
find a job in their
chosen country.
35%of respondents said
better career
development
opportunities were
the reason for
them to choose to
emigrate.
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6. The three biggest obstacles that discouraged survey respondents (senior and mid-level personnel)
from emigrating to work in other countries, included:
The biggest obstacles facing personnel
wishing to work in other countries
59%
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of respondents said they lacked
information on labour laws in
host countries.
45%of respondents said family matters
discouraged them from emigrating.
52%of respondents said they lacked
information on policies and laws in
host countries.
7. 7
Only 2% selected India and 1% chose Korea. In Southeast
Asia, Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines are the three
least popular countries with the selection ratio ranging
from 1% to 3%.
The two most attractive countries to work in
50%of respondents chose Singapore as an ideal
country to work in
38%chose Australia
8. 8
Domestic recruitment agencies or foreign firms with local offices play an important role in
helping candidates find a job overseas.
The important role of recruitment agencies
49%of respondents said they would ask
recruitment agencies to help them find a
job in their chosen country.
44%of respondents said they would find
a job through online recruitment
websites.
48%of respondents said they would ask
recruitment agencies in their chosen
country for help.
9. 9
An understanding of personnel strengths in certain countries is an advantage for any HR officer.
Respondents in 5 out of the 7 countries said being “hardworking” was one of their strengths. This
quality is also dominant across Asia in general. In addition, respondents in Korea, India and Thailand
said they had good problem-solving skills.
Only survey respondents in Australia and Singapore were confident in their English skills.
Only Australians rated themselves as strong leaders and only Singaporeans felt they had a good
global mindset. Japanese people highlighted the quality of their work and have a very high sense of
responsibility.
Dominant, diversified qualities
and skills of survey respondents
10. 10
When asked whether they would settle in their chosen country if an
opportunity became available
Countries likely to face the brain drain
61% 48%& 69% of Indian respondents have 5 to over 20 years of work
experience, while the ratio is 70% in Vietnam. These findings pose a
question: Whether or not enterprises in India and Vietnam will face the
brain drain in the future?
of Indian and Vietnamese respondents, respectively, said
they would be ready to live in the country for a long time.
11. 11
How to deal with the “Brain drain” issue:
To retain talented employees, enterprises need to invest in hiring the right people, develop their "Employer of Choice"
brands and improve the impact of engagement programs.
How to deal with scarcity of skilled personnel and shortage of senior managers:
• Training and development: different programs are needed to meet different levels of employees’ needs such as leadership
training and on-the-job training programs.
• Long term employee development programs, e.g. high potential development programs, are required.
How to attract talented personnel from overseas:
• Build the “Employer brand”.
• Create proper salaries and incentive programs for talented candidates.
• Make sure that enterprises are ready to accept “diversity” in corporate cultures.
• Make sure that enterprises develop leaders with cultural dexterity to manage a diverse and dispersed workforce.
Corporation recommendations
12. 12
Ask a recruitment agency to help you to find a job. These agencies are professional firms
that specialize in recruiting candidates for companies. By doing so, your application or pro-
file will be widely circulated to internal recruiters and employers.
Make the best preparations in terms of health, family matters, English skills and functional
skills as well as knowledge of relevant laws in your chosen country. This will boost your
confidence and prepare you before traveling to work in a foreign country.
Identify your strengths and decide on the industry you want to work in so you are in a po-
sition to prepare your application, profile and relevant work experience. This will enable
recruitment agencies to help you find a suitable job faster.
Job seekers recommendations
14. The survey was conducted
from October to December 2015.
The survey had the following number of respondents per country:
943
Vietnam
104
Singapore
558
Thailand
177
Australia
160
Korea
108
India
378
Japan
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15. About en world group
en world is a group of recruiting consultancies specialising
in professional and managerial roles. Operating from
seven countries, we support global companies’
recruitment needs through our Asia Pacific network.
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16. Share the data to your team
Download the Country report
There are 7 reports available with specific trends on country level:
Take action with these insights
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AEC report including:日本語 ENGLISH
한국의 ENGLISH
ENGLISH ENGLISH
ENGLISH
ENGLISHENGLISH
17. en world’s Country Managers
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Yu Sato Chris Riley Archana Chawla Simon Kim Belinda Skinner Yusuke Nishino Nguyen Thi Van Anh
yu.sato@enworld.com chris.riley@enworld.com archana@neweraindia.com simon.kim@enworld.com belinda.skinner@enworld.com yusuke.nishino@enworld.com vananh@navigossearch.com
18. Contact
JAPAN (Tokyo - Headquarters)
Floor 7, Room 702, Sunwah Tower, District 1
Phone: +848 3925 5000 Fax: +84 8 3925 5111
Email: contact@navigossearch.com
AUSTRALIA
Level 1, 1 Chandos Street St Leonards, Syney,
NSW 2065
Phone: +61 2 9431 6500 Fax: +61 2 9901 3811
Email: australia@enworld.com
12F Tokyo Square Garden, Kyobashi 3-1-1,
Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0031
Phone: +81 3 4578 3500 Fax: +81 3 6214 3023
Email: info@enworld.com
INDIA (New Delhi - Headquarters)
1F E-156, Main Road, Kalkaji, New Delhi,
110019
Phone: +91 11 4088 8400
Email: info@neweraindia.com
KOREA
10F Seoul Finance Center, 136 Sejong-Daero,
Jung-gu, Seoul 100-768
Phone: +82 2 6718 9800 Fax: +82 2 6718 9822
Email: korea@enworld.com
THAILAND (Bangkok - Headquarters)
12F Athenee Tower, unit 1201-1202 63
Wireless Road, Lumpini, Pathumwan, Bangkok
10330
Phone: +66 2 106 8600 Fax: +66 0 2654 0901
Email: thailand@enworld.com
SINGAPORE
30 Raffles Place, unit #13-02 Chevron House,
Singapore 048622
Phone: +65 6420 0570 Fax: +65 6534 1143
Email: singapore@enworld.com
VIETNAM (Ho Chi Minh City - Headquarters)
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