Sales and marketing roles, and
interest in Western talent from Asia, drive upturn in
vacancies.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Recruiters have signalled a cautiously
positive outlook for leasing, with reports of a rebound in
recruitment activity after a flat 2009.
Vacancies in the sector are starting to open up
as lessors prepare for growth and individuals become more confident
about changing jobs. And new horizons are unfolding as Asia looks
to the west for leasing experience and for those educated in
western credit methods and economics.
Recruiter New Leaf claimed a 50% increase in
the number of new roles on its books this year compared to 2009,
while Manning Solutions reported its number of vacancies
“considerably higher” in 2010, and CBC Recruitment Solutions said
the market was “buoyant”.
Jim Bain, a founding director of MBA
International said a push into China is providing growth for the
recruitment firm, with prospective new clients including Bank of
China, China Union Pay and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.
MBA has recruited a London-based director to help navigate China’s
highly complex regulatory system and to advise on cultural
differences when doing business there.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataBain said: “In the short-term we have a mainly
consumer finance bias, but I hope that we’ll be rolling this out to
business finance clients, whether specialising in cars, planes or
equipment.”
There are 1.3bn people living in China; the
country has 127 cities with populations above 1m.
Marc Howells, Bain’s new director, is a
financial services professional who spent the past two years in a
consumer finance role in Shenzhen, just north of Hong Kong. He is
headhunting professionals from the west to plug the skills gap in
China as the country begins to open up to western-style methods of
financing.
“For me the most exciting thing is providing
access to finance to people who have never had it before,” Howells
said.
His previous role was in retail finance,
enabling consumers to buy small ticket items like mobile phones and
laptops.
Howells warned that those with ambitions to
establish western-style business finance in China will need a good
dose of patience.
“Everything takes a long time in China. Leasing
regulations are highly complex. The way to change things is to
establish relationships with local government and chambers of
commerce who will help to support that change,” he said.
MBA is placing Chinese nationals who have
studied for MBAs at western institutions into European banks, as
well as sourcing western talent to relocate to China.
New Leaf is placing some asset finance and
leasing candidates in China and India too, into roles such as
country sales manager, head of operations, head of IT and head of
credit.
Jane Theobald, recruitment director at New
Leaf, said: “China and India are future growth areas for us. A
couple of years ago it was the UAE, but due to the economy taking a
hit there is less activity there now.”
Within the UK market, consolidation has led to
fewer employers overall, but those still in business financing are
now actively recruiting.
Colin Manning, UK recruitment director at
Manning Solutions, said: “The marketplace has shown some
contraction in the number of active leasing companies hiring over
the past 12 months, but activity within those same companies is
certainly higher. The recruitment market definitely turned a corner
at the end of 2009, with many of the stronger lessors improving
market share at the expense of weaker or distressed
competitors.”
Last year saw an upturn in vacancies for
credit, collections and litigation people, but the focus more
recently has started to shift to sales and relationship management
as companies look to growth and to retain their existing customers.
However Sean Toms, managing director of Robinson Toms Recruitment,
said there remains a “paucity of senior management roles”, due in
part to contractions of a number of major lessors.
Theobald said: “We have seen a definite
increase in sales-related opportunities, which are attracting
candidates in secure roles who have been reluctant to risk their
stability in an uncertain market. The acid test is whether they
make the move.”
Several recruiters strike a note of caution for
the outlook in the UK, especially since the outcome of the
government’s spending review is still unknown.
Toms said: “The jobs market is improving on
2009, but it is still fragile and with new uncertainty relating to
the impact of increased personal taxation coupled with government
spending cuts.”
Theobald added: “Activity has slowed as
employers review their strategies post election. The emergency
budget, lingering concern over eurozone debt and the health of the
banking system, and evidence of a slowdown in China, the US and UK
all add to nervousness.”
While recruitment activity has picked up,
there is still a way to go before the market reaches a pre-crisis
level of buoyancy.
