Job Search Abroad: Is Now The Time?

With unemployment hovering around 10% a recent article I read suggests that maybe Americans should start focusing their job searches overseas rather than domestically. Good advice, but not if you lack have the treasury to accomplish such a task. Here are some highlights from that article I found particularly interesting.

A recent survey by Manpower Inc. found that employment prospects are most favorable in India, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, China, Australia, Singapore, Costa Rica, Canada, Taiwan, and Poland. Jeff Joerres, Manpower Inc.'s chairman and CEO says a reason for this is because the populations of developing countries are increasing nearly six times as fast as those of developed countries. "This essentially creates a magnet pulling American workers to developing nations, and moving them along as each destination stabilizes. So you can see how Prague was hot for a while for American workers, then Vietnam and Dubai."

Greg Scileppi, director of international operations at Robert Half International adds, "We're seeing growth among financial services and natural resources firms in parts of Asia and Australia. In Western Europe, demand for skilled professionals is increasing among insurance companies as well as boutique banks and private equity firms."

Namaste India

Though many American companies have been outsourcing call center duties to the subcontinent for years, India is looking for a few good men and women with experience in public administration, education and wholesale/retail.

Although their hiring expectations are considerably more conservative than they were just a year ago, employers in India remain the most optimistic in the Asian-Pacific region with a brisk hiring pace forecasted in those industry sectors, according to Manpower's survey.

Ni Hau China

Steven Weathers was co-founder and creative director of PenPointe LLC, a marketing firm, when he decided to relocate to Shanghai just before the downturn. Now the producer and host of Foreigner Perspective, Weathers has had a front-row seat to observe how the U.S. economy is affecting the Chinese.

"I've seen a decrease in foreign experts in Shanghai as many have returned to their home countries earlier than scheduled. The slowing economy here has affected many closings of schools, restaurants, and international offices." Job opportunities still exist for ESL teachers in China, just don't expect to be paid much, says Weathers who says that averages around $1,000 per month.

Get Social

In addition to getting the appropriate work visa, potential candidates should brush up on their Social Media skills. Scileppi says Robert Half has expanded their social media presence to LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, while Manpower's Joerres says in addition to their proprietary network on mypath.com, they have an exclusive agreement to provide career consulting to LinkedIn users.

Don't forget Twitter. Gary Zukowski, CEO of TweetMYJobs says that his Twitter job search service now has a database of international opportunities. The Twitter offerings are in some of the same fields as those posted by traditional recruiters. "The industries most prevalent outside the U.S. are IT, sales, business management, retail, hospitality and tourism," he says.