Engineers wanted in China

China's overall job ad numbers for Q4 2008 fell by more than 20 per cent, but the Robert Walters' report said that "Perhaps the most notable trend in the Chinese advertising data has been the increase in advertisements for engineers and other technical staff required for construction and infrastructure projects."

"The final quarter of 2008 was quieter, although this is not unusual," said Mark Ellwood, managing director of Robert Walters Southeast Asia. "The decline in advertisements reflects the fact that headcount budgets tend to be filled up before the end of the year. "Some candidates did show an understandable reluctance to move jobs in this environment, whereas they would have been less cautious in previous years."