55 percent of polled overseas workers worry about air quality
China’s problems with air pollution are undermining government efforts to make the country more attractive to overseas talent, according to recruitment professionals.
A survey by Spring Professional, a subsidiary of human resources company Adecco Group, found that the interest among top foreign talent in working in China has risen nearly 150 percent over the past five years.
Yet fears over the environment and climate have also increased. Fifty-five percent of 2,000 foreign employees that Spring Professional polled last year — who had each lived in the country for at least five years — said they had concerns about air quality, up from 23 percent in 2012.
Air pollution has hurt recruitment for the past two years, said Ma Erman, head of overseas recruitment for language training company EF English in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province.
“During interview processes, foreign applicants frequently check the air quality index,” she said. “Many will turn down an offer after thinking carefully about their health. For those who work here in Shijiazhuang, all of them will visit the hospital several times, especially during winter.
“Hebei doesn’t have many advantages to compete with coastal provinces, which have better economies and offer higher salaries, and air pollution is making recruitment even more difficult.”
According to data provided by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the average daily concentration of PM2.5 — small particulate matter that is hazardous to health — in the country’s 31 provinces, autonomous regions and provinces was 47 micrograms per cubic meter last year, down by 6 percent from 2015 levels.
He Kebin, dean of Tsinghua University’s School of Environment, predicted it could take 10 to 15 years for most of the heavily polluted Chinese cities to meet the national air quality standard.
China has been watched closely by foreign job applicants in recent years due to the rapid development of its economy and its openness to overseas talent.
Hu Xin, a senior consultant
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at Spring Professional, said China has become more competitive in the talent war compared with five years ago.
“China has an advantage over European countries, whose economy, social order and political situations are deteriorating,” Hu said. “In 2015 and 2016, many private firms in China had a growing demand for high-end overseas technical talent and they are willing to provide attractive salaries and opportunities for promotion.”
However, many expats are having second thoughts as air pollution has become a longterm issue.
Will Suh, 27, stayed in Beijing for six months last year. “I miss China, but I had to come back to California. Maybe I will go back to China, but I think I will choose Shanghai or Guangzhou,” he added.
More than 13 cities in Hebei and Henan provinces, including Shijiazhuang and Zhengzhou, will welcome Spring Festival eve with smog, the national environment ministry said on Monday.
Starting Monday, vast regions in the provinces of Hebei and Henan will see an increase in smog, which is forecast to persist and worsen until Friday, Spring Festival eve, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said. The smog is expected to gradually disperse Foreign applicants frequently check the air quality index.” Ma Erman, head of overseas recruitment for language training company EF English in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province from north to south due to winds.
The National Environmental Monitoring Center also forecast severe smog for parts of Hebei, Shandong and Henan provinces, though it said the forecast for the coming weekend might not be accurate due to the changing weather and emissions situation.
Among the 13 cities, six were listed in the top-10 cities with severe air pollution in 2016 — Hengshui, Shijiazhuang, Baoding, Handan and Xingtai of Hebei, and Zhengzhou of Henan.
The ministry has sent the forecast to the governments of these areas, suggesting they issue emergency alerts for air pollution in advance, and saying that violators will be punished severely. The ministry said it will closely monitor major emission sources such as large companies via remote sensing and online monitoring technologies.