executives career choosing trends survey - ipsos€¦ · main reasons for career change, and the...

How do Chinese business executives evaluate their own professional status? How many people are considering a career change in 2015? What do they expect in choosing a career?

Recently, Ipsos published the Executives Career Choosing Trends Survey 2015 in association with CEIBS Business Review, which analyzes the professional status and trends in career choice of Chinese business executives.

SURVEY / 08

Executives unanimously agree about Chinese business trends in 2015 that traditional industries will face challenges and be quickly replaced by emerging industries. Over forty percent of executives believe that the overall prospect of their industries is promising and there are significantly more optimistic executives in the Internet/mobile Internet industry than in traditional industries.

Executives in the Internet/mobile Internet industry have notably better evaluations of their opportunities for career development and their professional status in the companies they are working for than those in traditional industries.

36% of surveyed executives are considering a career change in 2015. There are more executives in traditional industries who are considering a career change than in the Internet/mobile Internet industry. Limited opportunities for personal development, experiencing more challenging work, and the inability to develop personal value are the main reasons for career change, and the target industry’s prospect is the most valued factor when choosing companies when considering a career change.

Internet/mobile Internet start-ups are the preferred type of company that executives would like to move to. Having more challenging work and having a better reflection of self-value are the main reasons for executives to consider joining emerging start-ups.

The executives' foremost expectation of emerging start-ups is that they will have efficient team collaboration, while uncertain entrepreneurial orientation and business model is their biggest concern. Equity/option incentive and providing a good entrepreneurial climate are executives' main recommendations for emerging Internet/mobile Internet start-ups to attract talent.

Nearly half of the surveyed executives believe that the general future trend will involve professional managers moving to emerging Internet/mobile Internet start-ups.

The evaluations from executives in traditional industries and the Internet/mobile Internet industry have some differences. The advantages of executives in traditional industries are more focused on communication, while those in emerging industries are more focused on understanding of the industry and business. They also differ in the emphasis put on their personal professional capacity development.

About seventy percent of executives express a willingness to deal with uncertainties in their career development and they cope with the uncertainty by reinforcing what they’ve learned and having a positive mindset.

The survey’s key findings are as follows:

2015_Executives Career Choosing Trends Survey By/ Ipsos

How do executives view Chinese business development trends in 2015?

The survey shows that 73% of executives believe that traditional industries will face some challenges, and that overall development will slow down and emerging industries will quickly replace traditional industries. At the same time, more than half of the executives believe that emerging industries are facing a new round of re-shuffling and are in urgent need of new talent. Mobile Internet will become the strategic point that every company must pay attention to.

In general, over forty percent (42%) of the executives think the overall prospect of their industries is promising and will maintain growth. 35% believe that the performance of their industries in 2015 will be worse than it was in 2014. Executives from traditional industries and the Internet/mobile Internet industry have clearly different judgments about the industry prospects. Nearly eighty percent (79%) of executives from the Internet/mobile Internet industry believe the industry outlook is good for 2015 and will maintain growth, which is significantly higher than the percentage of executives from traditional industries who believe their industries will maintain growth (31%).

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Traditional industries

Internet/mobile Internet industry

27% 30% 8% 3%31%

79% 13% 8%

The overall industry has a good prospect and will maintain growth The industry will face greater crisis, and the volume of business will be significantly diminished

Not sure/cannot tellThe industry performance will be flat compared with last year, and the business will maintain stableThe industry performance will be worse than last year, and the business will encounter certain challanges

Judgment about industry development trends in 2015 (by different industries)

6%30%52%53%73%

judgment about Chinese

business development trends in 2015

6%The overall outlook is good, all industries will maintain the rate of development and growth

30%The focus of competition will be shifted from business models to business liquidity

52%Mobile Internet will become the strategic point that every company must pay attention to

53%Emerging industries are facing a new round of re-shuffling and more challenges in management development, in urgent need of new talent

73%Traditional industries will face some challenges and the overall development will slow down; emerging industries will quickly replace traditional industries

Judgment about industry development trends in 2015

The overall industry has a good prospect and will

maintain growth

42%The industry performance will be flat compared with last year, and the business

will maintain stable

21%The industry performance

will be worse than last year, and the business will

encounter certain challanges

27%The industry will face greater crisis, and the

volume of business will be significantly diminished

8%Not sure/cannot tell

3%

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How do executives evaluate their current careers?

On the whole, nearly thirty percent of executives believe the companies they are now working for have greater opportunities for career development. Executives from the Internet/mobile Internet industry have considerably better evaluations of this aspect than those from traditional industries. 54% of executives from the Internet/mobile Internet industry believe that the companies they are now working for have larger room for their development and that their careers are on the rise, which is significantly higher than the percentage of executives from traditional industries (22%).

Executives from the Internet/mobile Internet industry have significantly higher evaluations of their professional status than those from traditional industries. Over forty percent (42%) of the executives score 80 points or more on professional status, which is obviously higher than the percentage of those from traditional industries (25%).

Having larger room for development, being on the rise in career development, being thought highly of by top leadership and entrusted with an important post

Facing certain challenges in career development, and requiring continuous improvement in professional capacity

Facing certain challenges in career development, with the main challenges from the company culture

Room for development being restricted by the department functions and job content

Evaluations on the career development in the present companies

34%29% 24% 13%

Having larger room for development, being on the rise in career development, being thought highly of by top leadership and

entrusted with an important post

Facing certain challenges in career development, and requiring continuous

improvement in professional capacity

Facing certain challenges in career development, with the main challenges

from the company culture

Room for development being restricted by the department

functions and job content

Evaluations on the career development in the present companies (by different industries)

0 10

22%54%

35%29%

27%13%

16%4%

20 30 40 50 60

Traditional industries Internet/mobile Internet industry

Scoring of current professional status

Total


Internet/mobile Internet industry

Below 60 points

6%

8%

23%

25%

16%

42%

42%

42%

24%

20%

38%

5%

5%

4%

60-70 points 71-80 points 81-90 points Above 90 points

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Whether considering a career change in 2015 (by different industries)

Definitely would consider

Probably would consider

Not sure Less likely to consider

Definitely would not consider

Probably would start my

own business

24

12

19 20 1925

17

30

4

9

17

4

Reasons for considering career change

Want to go to a larger platform for development due to limited opportunities for

personal

My family is not satisfied with my current job

Feel stressed at work, affecting the quality of life

Unable to develop personal value and capacity in the present work

development at present

Want to experience more fresh and more challenging work

Expect higher salary and welfare

Feel pessimistic about the outlook of the industry that the company is in

Feel pessimistic about the company's

prospectsCannot adapt to the company culture

Want to go to a company that can provide a stable job

Want to move to a company with a more convenient locationFeel the interpersonal

relationships in the company are complex

53%

35%

40%

43%

45%5%

5%

10%

13%

15%

15%

18%

Change career or Not?

On the whole, 36% of the surveyed executives consider a career change in 2015, with 15% saying they definitely would consider a career change, and 21% probably would; there are 6% saying they could start their own businesses; the percentage of executives from traditional industries who would consider a career change (41%) is significantly higher than that of those from Internet/mobile Internet

industry (16%).

As for the reasons for career change, “limited opportunities for personal development” (53%) is the most common reason, followed by “to experience more fresh/more challenging work” (45%) and “being unable to develop personal value and capacity in the present work” (43%).

Whether considering a career change in 2015

15%Definitely would consider

6%Probably would start my own business

19%Definitely would not consider

20%Less likely to consider

21%Probably would consider

19%Not sure

Where are executives going in the future?

The findings of the Ipsos survey show that the industry prospects of a company (73%) are valued most by executives when they are choosing companies to move to, which is significantly higher than other factors. In addition, the ability of the job to reflect personal value and capacity (57%), and salary, welfare and development

space (51%) are also important factors.

On the whole, emerging Internet/mobile Internet start-ups are the preferred type of company that executives would consider moving to, with a significantly higher percentage (45%) than other types of companies. It is also worth mentioning that 36% of executives from traditional industries would consider emerging start-ups as their

preferred destination.

Between large companies in familiar industries and start-ups in emerging industries, executives from traditional industries prefer the latter. Overall, nearly forty percent (43%) of the executives say they would probably choose to go to an emerging Internet/mobile Internet company to take charge of a department alone, and the percentage of executives from traditional industries who hold such a view is as high as 48%.

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Job stability

Complexity of the company's interpersonal relationships

Work intensity and stress

Work environment

Company reputation

Working place

Post and rank

Company cultural atmosphere

Whether it helps in personal training

and growth

Way of team collaboration and

efficiency

Development space

Salary and welfare

Prospect of the industry that the company is in

Whether the job content can reflect personal value and

capacity

Other

Factors to consider when choosing a company to move to

12%12%

14%

17%

18%

23%

31%35%37%

38%

51%

56%

57%

73% 3%

Traditional large-scale enterprises, including state-owned enterprises\headquarters of foreign companies in ChinaLarge-scale private enterprises, in traditional industries, with certain resource capacitiesSmall and medium-sized enterprises, in traditional industries, with a large potential for developmentLarge-scale Internet companies, such as BAT\branches of multinational Internet companies in ChinaEmerging Internet/mobile Internet start-ups

Preferred types of companies to move to

23%

12%

12%8%

45%

Preferred types of companies for job-hopping

0 20

36%80%

27%8%

16%

13%4%

8%8%

40 60 80 100


Emerging Internet/mobile Internet start-ups

Traditional large-scale enterprises, including state-owned enterprises\headquarters of

foreign companies in China

Small and medium-sized enterprises, in traditional industries, with a large potential

for development

Large-scale private enterprises, in traditional industries, with certain resource capacities

Large-scale Internet companies, such as BAT\branches of multinational Internet

companies in China

More challenging work and a better reflection of self-value are the main reasons for executives to consider joining the emerging start-ups. According to the findings of the Ipsos survey, emerging start-ups having more challenging work/can reflect self-value (73%) is the most common reason for executives to consider joining them, and better development prospect (53%) is also an important reason.

After choosing to join emerging Internet/mobile Internet companies, efficient team collaboration (71%) is the executives' foremost expectation and uncertain entrepreneurial orientation and business model (71%) is their biggest concern.

Q: ”If there are two job offers at the same time, taking a familiar post in a department of a large company in a familiar industry or taking charge of a department alone in an emerging Internet/mobile Internet company, how likely are you to choose the latter? ”

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Very likely to go, even if the salary is much lower than it is nowVery likely to go, but on the premise of the same income levelGo to the one that provides a higher payWould not consider small companies in the short term

19%

43%5%

32%

Very likely to go, even if the salary is much lower than it is now

Very likely to go, but on the premise of the

same income level

Go to the one that provides a higher pay

Would not consider small companies in

the short term

0 10 20 30 5040

35%29%

8%

48%25%

13%38%

4%


Why considering joining emerging Internet/mobile Internet companies

The work in emerging start-ups is more

challenging and can better reflect my value

73%The prospects of future

development of emerging start-ups are better

53%Emerging start-ups have

broader space for personal development

39%I can exercise my

personal abilities and learn more new things in

emerging start-ups

29%Emerging start-ups have

better incentive mechanisms

29%I like the cultural

atmosphere of emerging start-ups better

16%Other

6%

Expectations of the companies after joining emerging Internet/mobile Internet start-ups

The biggest worry for entrepreneurship in emerging Internet/mobile Internet start-ups

Efficient team collaboration Uncertain entrepreneurial orientation and business model

Insufficient resource support, struggling alone

The founders are "tricksters"

The investors pull out, and the money raised quickly runs out

The market conditions are instable, with rapid market changes

My income fluctuates greatly

Other

Small companies do not have complete supporting facilities, which cannot reflect high-end environment

and atmosphere

Innovative incentive mechanisms and feedback mechanisms

The founders have strong leadership and can be powerful enablers for

each business line

Have sufficient capacity for innovation

The company culture is simple and direct, with an entrepreneurial

atmosphere

Full understanding and application of the Internet

Anticipated career development possibilities, and opportunities for

trial and error

Aggressive, in pursuit of the results-oriented culture

71% 71%

50%

42%

40%

39%

19%

17%

1%

53%

51%

48%

44%

40%

37%

25%

For emerging Internet/mobile Internet companies, equity/option incentive and providing a good entrepreneurial climate are executives' main recommendations for emerging Internet/mobile Internet start-ups to attract talents.

The world is constantly moving in the direction of the mobile Internet. The Ipsos survey shows that 47% of the surveyed executives believe that the general future trend will be that professional managers will move to emerging Internet/mobile Internet start-ups.

Those from traditional industries and the Internet/mobile Internet industry who think so are 44% and 59%, respectively.

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6%6%17%19%31%37%

Recommendations for emerging Internet/

mobile Internet companies to attract talent

Strengthening resource supportStrengthening emotional exchange

Providing a greater platform and room for growth

Reliable product and business modelsGood entrepreneurial culture and team atmosphere

Equity/option incentive

Proportions of executives who totally agree/somewhat agree that "it is the general future trend that professional managers will move to emerging Internet/mobile Internet start-ups"

TOTAL47%


44%Internet/mobile Internet industry

59%

All data source from Ipsos

How do executives evaluate themselves?

For the evaluations of their own advantages, executives think that their advantages mainly lie in strategic insight, industry/market insight and organizing external and internal communication and coordination.

On the whole, the executives believe their abilities and advantages are mainly reflected in three aspects: strategic insight (60%), organizing external and internal communication and coordination (51%) and industry/market insight (50%). There are some differences in the perceived abilities and advantages between executives from the Internet/mobile Internet industry and those from traditional industries. Executives from traditional industries have significant advantages in organizing external and internal communication and coordination, practical experience in specific business processes and customer communication, while executives from the Internet/mobile Internet industry are better at industry/market insight and related business areas.

In terms of personal professional capacity development in 2015, on the whole, platform resource integration (60%), Internet thinking model transformation (58%), integrated management ability (57%), cross-border innovation capacity (54%) and industry/market insight (50%) are the personal professional abilities that executives will focus on in 2015.

The future is always fraught with uncertainties. For future career development, seventy percent of the surveyed executives expressed a willingness to deal with uncertainties in their career development, and maintaining positive thinking and mindset (46%) are their main ways to cope with these uncertainties.

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How can my abilities and advantages be reflected?

Have strategic insight, play an important decision maker in the enterprise

Good at organizing external and internal communication and coordination

Have a deeper understanding and insight towards the industry and market

Have the ability to solve problems quickly, often play the role of "fire fighter"

Have strong practical experience in specific business process management

Good at communication with customers, understand customers' needs and

concernsExperts in relevant fields, such as

technology/finance/legal/HR/supply chain, etc.

Have strong business development and marketing capabilities

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

60%58%60%

58%25%51%

48%58%50%

43%38%42%

45%33%42%

39%29%37%

30%38%32%

25%25%25%

Traditional industries Internet/mobile Internet industry TOTAL

Platform resource integration and leveraging

Internet thinking model transformation

Integrated management ability

Cross-border innovation capacity

Industry/market understanding and insight

Professional diligence in related business

Capacity of product design and realization

Personal professional abilities to focus on in 2015

60%

58%

57%

54%

50%

34% 31%

53%

54%

57%

62%

62% 54%

46%

54%

54%

38%

42%

27%16% 13%

Traditional industriesTotal Internet/mobile Internet industry

Are you willing to bear many uncertainties in your career development

No30%

Yes70%

How will you adjust yourself if you are willing to bear the uncertainties

To reinforce learning and improve the abilities

48%To actively adjust

mindset and thinking

46%No need to adjust, let it be

13%

For more information, please contact us via [email protected]

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