Asian Welcome Singapore

Reloko South Korea

East Gate Relocations Taiwan

Pacific Orientations Thailand

Pathfinder Relocation

Services Malaysia

Woburn International New Zealand

Annexus International Relocation Services

Philippines

Issue 16, April 2012 Page 1

Woodhams Relocation

Centre Australia

Asia Pacific Access

China

Tokyo Orientations

Japan

Our Members

ASIA– PACIFIC UPDATES

Dear Readers Thank you for your interest in our latest Reloc8 Asia Pacific Group Newsletter. In this edition we will be surveying all our member countries on the issue of Dual Careers and the challenges that this presents for companies and the families who are being sent on overseas assignments.

Please see the table to the right which shows that in major developed countries 68% - 84% of fe-males are working. Should these females leave their current jobs to live overseas ? What are the prospects for finding full or part time work in the Asia Pacific Region? We will be examining dual careers in our member countries, with particular focus on the ease of finding work in the country, the legal restrictions on spouses who wish to work, as well as other options if the spouse wishes to further their career or participate in other activities. The situation varies quite widely across the region. We have also included a brief summary of how expa-triate rental prices have changed over the last several years in our member countries. Some rents have sky-rocketed, others have gone down. Please contact us if you have any queries regarding this newsletter.

Kind Regards,

Ken Arbour President Reloc8 Asia Pacific

www.reloc8asia.com Page 2 Issue 16, April 2012

Assignment

Destination

General Ease and Difficulty of Spouse Careers

Regulations if the Spouse Wishes to Work

The Best Way to Find Work Other Career

Development Opportunities If the Spouse Can't Find Work, What are the Other Options?

Australia

Australia is not an easy place to work, but it is possible.

However, realise that new arri-vals are perceived to be lacking in local knowledge.

A respondent in our dual career survey - “ take any position you can get on a temporary basis to get your foot in the door and start learning the office proto-col.”

If the relocated em-ployee has a temporary residence visa (457), then the spouse can work legally without re-striction.

Many Employers prefer to employ someone they know or a person recommended to them to improve the chances of a good fit .

Those planning to work should tap their network before leaving their local country, as many jobs aren’t advertised.

Career Counsellors can help with under-standing the job market, as well as devel-oping strategies.

Recruitment Companies are not generally useful.

Take temporary roles to get started.

Starting a business is a challenge for new arrivals – lack of contacts and little experience of “how things are done”.

Studying at an Australian Univer-sity is a good (if expensive) way to develop expertise – it is also useful as a way to meet people.

Voluntary work (e.g. at child’s school, through a church, or with a charity organi-sation).

China

Anything is possible if you have the right attitude.

China is a developing country and there are many niches still open for exploration.

Difficult if spouses don’t speak Mandarin, although interna-tional companies still hire locally if the applicant has real skills and experience.

Be prepared to work on local wages.

To work legally, a spouse will need to have a for-mal employer in China who will support the ap-plications for a Work Visa (Z Visa). Once they are hired by a company -company will sponsor that spouse by providing documents that show role, salary etc.

Company still needs to provide an invitation let-ter - easier for interna-tional companies; smaller companies will be re-stricted by their foreigner intake.

Networking is essential in China; join social and professional groups.

Websites such as LinkedIn are often better than Recruitment Companies.

Recruitment Companies are useful for giv-ing information about which companies are hiring and which roles are in demand—but they may not be able to help you find a job.

For teaching and more informal work, expat magazine websites such as the Beijinger are useful in the big cities.

Work part-time and/or under the radar.

Set up their own businesses. Opening a company with a Chinese

partner – useful for avoiding bu-reaucracy, but some risks.

A Wholly Owned Foreign Enter-prise (WOFE) (recommended) – Doesn’t require a Chinese partner and is better for operating interna-tionally. Relatively low investment requires.

Registering a company in Hong Kong and doing business in China-limits on flexibility.

NGO work or working at a charity. Studying in China – MBA Studying Chinese Travel – exploring China’s long history and

rich culture. Participating in Calligraphy or Cookery

classes. Many expat social and religious groups in

the larger cities, as well as music and sports.

Japan

Difficult for spouses to stay in their former careers - network-ing and working with friends are probably the only ways to find suitable employment.

The major difficulty when find-ing employment for non-Japanese speakers is the lan-guage barrier - spouses very seldom continue their careers due to language issues.

Spouses are allowed to work only in part-time jobs up to a maximum of 28 hours per week.

Spouses need to apply for a special work permit if the wish to work even part-time.

Employers must sponsor a work visa if the spouse wants a full-time job - Not easy unless they have arranged something with their former em-ployer.

Seek work where expatriate work is most available – English teaching and editing English copy.

Recruiters are an unlikely source due to the cost to the employer.

Starting a business has various requirements – 5 Million Yen in Capital, 2 employees that are resi-dents of Japan, an office separate from one’s residence.

Consulting, counseling and teach-ing are all subject to the maximum 28 hours per week cut-off spouses

Volunteering for an NPO (Non-Profit Or-ganisation) or Charity.

Becoming involved in social or religious groups – expat orientated Churches and the American club.

Cultural Activities – Flower arrangement, kimono wearing, cookery classes.

Travelling around Japan. Studying – MBA or language programmes.

Dual Spouse Careers

Assign-ment Des-

tination

General Ease and Difficulty of Spouse Careers

Regulations if the Spouse Wishes to Work

The Best Way to Find Work Other Career

Development Opportunities If the Spouse Can't Find Work, What are the Other Options?

Malaysia

It is difficult for a spouse to pursue a career in Malaysia – complex visa laws make it challenging and frus-trating.

The spouse will need to cancel their dependant pass, whilst the employer of the spouse will need to apply for a work permit – the company must have a capital of RM350,000 ($114,008 US).

Spouse must have a qualification that is sought after in Malaysia.

The Partner’s salary must ex-ceed RM5,000 ($1,628US).

All foreign degrees/diplomas must be submitted in English – If it isn’t, it must be translated.

Employment Agencies are Nu-merous.

Online job listings and Network-ing Websites such as LinkedIn.

International jobsites – www.partnerjob.com and www.monster.com.

Malaysian jobsites – www.jobstreet.com.my and www.jobDB.com.my.

Starting your own business can be done in two ways:

Opening a business with a local partner – some must be opened this way (check with lawyers).

A 100% foreign-owned com-pany – requires a capital of RM500,000 ($162,867US).

Studying – Learning another language or study-ing to become a language teacher (TESOL).

Distance learning from an international institu-tion – Open University (www.oum.edu.my).

Volunteering can be good for future employment or college application – UNICEF Malaysia (www.unicef.org/infobycountry/malaysia.html) and Red Crescent Malaysia (www.redcrescent.org.my).

Join social clubs to practice sports/handicrafts activities.

Get to know the local culture.

New

Zealand

It can be difficult to find work in New Zealand – some employers are hesitant to hire expats whose skills are not in short supply.

Some people can be overqualified for the New Zealand job market so may have to be prepared to take a step backwards.

Spouses can undertake any kind of work, provided their relocated employee partner has a lawful visa that permits work.

Spouse’s CV needs to be adapted to meet NZ require-ments and the job vacancy they are pursuing.

Job websites such as Trademe or Seek.

Recruitment Companies and Newspaper job advertisements - applicable if the spouse has qualifications and/or experience in area of skill shortages.

Networking.

Starting your own business – undertake market analysis of what is needed and the com-petition.

Chamber of Commerce can provide guidance.

Volunteer work Study – If applicant is not a Resident or Citizen

of NZ, Immigration visa must be reviewed and you will be required to pay international student fees for tertiary study.

Starting a new hobby. Join a Club. Investigate Community activities and become

involved.

Philippines

It is very difficult for spouse to work legally in the Philippines – many em-ployers aren’t willing to accept the cost of an application for a work visa.

Some spouses work illegally, and take the risk of being caught by the immigration authorities.

A valid work visa is required – the spouse needs to be spon-sored by the employer.

Some jobs such as charity work and consultancy do not require a work visa, and can be under-taken as the dependant of an expat working in the Philippines.

Networking with foreign clubs and Recruitment Companies.

Through the expat ladies net-work.

Spouses can engage in Busi-nesses that don’t require incor-poration in the SEC (Philippines Securities and Exchange Com-mission) – if they do require incorporation, however, large investment is required.

Informal Charity or NGO work.

Issue 16, April 2012 www.reloc8asia.com Page 3

Dual Spouse Careers

Assign-ment Des-

tination

General Ease and Difficulty of Spouse Careers

Regulations if the Spouse Wishes to Work

The Best Way to Find Work Other Career

Development Opportunities If the Spouse Can't Find Work, What are the Other Options?

Singapore

Spouses can find work in Singa-pore, as long as they have skills that are in demand for jobs which can’t be done by the local work force.

Very difficult to compete for sec-retarial and administration jobs.

Spouses on a Dependant Pass (DP) are eligible but a Letter of Consent to Work (LOC) must be applied for by the employer of the spouse - tied to a Dependant Pass (DP) If the LOC is cancelled, so is the DP.

An LOC is required for full and part-time work. If a partner doesn’t qualify for an LOC, they

will need an Employment Pass (EP) – applied for by the employer, and is independent from their partner’s EP.

Advertisements in Expatriate Magazines and in Newspapers.

Expat social network. Head-hunters and online Re-

cruitment Agencies. Recommendations from

friends and network associ-ates.

Many spouses have started their own businesses – re-tail shops, craft fairs, inte-rior design and furniture shops.

Teaching – either at inter-national schools, tuition companies or local educa-tional centres.

Studying – professional courses, language courses, arts and crafts.

Volunteering – Charities such as hospices, handicapped associations, SPCA.

South

Korea

Difficult for spouse to find work - difficult to find an employer willing to sponsor a foreigner, and the immigration department decides whether this position could be filled by a Korean instead.

A proper work visa sponsored by a Korean en-tity is needed - difficult to find a willing spon-sor, and so is problematic unless prepared be-fore arriving.

The most probable work visa (E7 - the local hire work permit) requires special qualification such as licences and/or the recommendation from an Authorised Organisation in Korea or from a Ministry of Korea.

Volunteer and unpaid work can be done with-out regulations.

Networking .

Not easy for a spouse to set up their own business but possible.

Working informally is possi-ble but it is hard to be pro-tected.

Studying. Working Informally. Volunteer work. Taking lessons in sports, painting and

other hobbies.

Taiwan

A challenge for a partner to get into employment—a spouse has to be sponsored by a company

More challenges going through the job hunt and interview proc-ess until the spouse finds an em-ployer willing to sponsor them.

After obtaining a dependant visa, a spouse can apply for a work permit based on the following requirements:

Medical and Drug tests - documentation has to be brought if the test is done outside Taiwan.

Contract of employment from employer. Credentials of a masters degree with more

than 2 years experience and/or a specialist with more than 5 years related experience to the chosen field.

Passport from a native English-speaking coun-try and eight passport photos.

Posting a CV in expatriate friendly newspapers, maga-zines and bulletin boards.

Building networks within the same professional groups be-fore arriving.

Networking with other expats through schools and social clubs.

Working from home infor-mally.

Continuing to work for the previous company in the home company and tele-communicating.

Volunteering works - international schools, clubs, social groups, charity foundations and churches.

Consulting works based on the previous professional field.

Tutoring English, art, music or anything that requires the specific skill set of the spouse.

Thailand

Limited job opportunities— avail-able jobs are usually for lower paid positions.

Employers not inclined to employ a spouse, knowing that a spouse’s length of service is tied to their partner’s stay-in-country.

Thai employers unwilling to give the same number of holidays that the partner would receive.

A Thai employer must sponsor a spouse look-ing to get a work permit.

Strict regulations regarding minimum salary. Register with the Social Security Office.

Head-hunters. Posting a CV on job boards. Asking at international schools

and private hospitals.

To start their own business, a spouse must employ at least four Thais and invest 2 million Baht capital ($64,856 US).

Engage in charity work. Help out at international schools. Coaching sports teams. Travelling around Thailand. Learning a new language studying at a

local university.

Issue 16, April 2012 www.reloc8asia.com Page 4

Dual Spouse Careers

Issue 16, April 2012 www.reloc8asia.com Page 5

Australia Rents have increased by around 25% in the past four years in the areas preferred by inter-national assignees, reflecting low vacancy rates (currently only 1.6% in Sydney and 2% in Mel-bourne). If rents are expressed in major foreign currencies, the change is even greater due to the appreciation of the Australian Dollar. Due to the high number applicants per

rented accommodation, assignees have limited time to make decisions and thus little scope to negotiate prices.

China

In Beijing, rental ap-preciation for serviced-apartments, Grade A apartments and High-end Villas have all been higher than the overall market since the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This is due to these types of accommodation being in limited supply, and oc-cupancy rates for some serviced apartment complexes being over 95%.

In Shanghai, in central areas such as the Old French Concession and Pudong, ex-pat rental prices have gone up across the board in the last six months. For properties in the suburbs however, sales prices have been dropping by as much as 10-15% since the last quarter of 2011.

Japan The expatriate rental hous-ing market in Tokyo has fallen 30 to 40% since 2008 as a myriad of negative issues have occurred. The global eco-nomic downturn in 2008, the March 2011 Earthquake and subsequent nuclear disaster, the pull of lower tax regimes in Singapore and

Hong Kong on executives, and the continually appreciating Yen (7%) last year have all contributed to the falling prices.

Malaysia Kuala Lumpur is growly rapidly, with a number of high-end housing complexes being completed in the next two years. This will put downward pressure on the rental rates of older complexes. Although condominium rental rates are decreasing, the rental rates of gated communities is holding steady as there only a few available for rent in the expatriate areas. Conversely, service apart-ment rates have been increasing every year. Condominium rentals range from RM2.50-RM4 (81c - $1.3US) per square foot, whilst the price

of houses in gated communities ranges from RM11,000-RM25,000 ($3,583 - $8,143 US) per month. In the south of Penang, housing prices have increased by 20% compared to last year, whilst rental rates are stagnant. Condominium prices in Penang range between RM1,400 ($456US) (for an older condominium in Sunny Ville) -RM13,000 ($4,242US) (for the upper range), whilst housing in gated communities ranges from RM3,500 ($1,142US) for a semi-detached to RM12,000 ($3,916US) for a large home.

New Zealand Rental housing across New Zealand has in-creased by 5% in the last four years, although the disparity between the prices in Auckland (15-26% increase) and in Christchurch (just over a 5% increase) are profound. The rise in Auckland is due to many families relocating there after the Earthquake in Christchurch, a shortage of good properties, and more renters rather than buyers due to New Zealand’s current economic situation.

Changing Expat Housing Prices

Changing Expat Housing Prices

Issue 16, April 2012 www.reloc8asia.com Page 6

Philippines Housing prices have in-creased 20% in the last two years for houses in gated communities in Makati City, and in larger condominiums. These types of housing are lim-ited due to the high cost of real estate in the city and limited land area, thus the increase in price. These are in high demand from expat

families on long-term assignments who want to live in a large space in the city. The prices for smaller condominiums has also increased, with the demand being mainly from short-term assignees who prefer to live somewhere that amenities are provided and have a lower maintenance cost. The rental cost for 1-2 bedroom condo-miniums has increased by as much as 15%, in keeping with the increased demand.

Singapore Rents for high-end housing have generally fallen by 5-15% when compared to 2007 prices; the peak before falling in the 2nd half of 2008. Middle-range accommodation prices have however remained relatively constant, whilst in the lower rental range prices have in-

creased by 5-10% due to an increase in demand and limited supply.

South Korea Expatriate housing prices have remained reasonably constant in the last four years, even when in the local mar-ket rental prices have increased. Furthermore, no big exchange fluctuation has occurred in the last four years,, keeping the market stable. 1 and 2 bedroom apartments in Korea are rare, and so 3 bedroom apartments are around $3,500-$7000 USD, with 4 bedroom apart-

ments being available for $4,500-$9000 USD.

Taiwan According to a survey by a British HR Consultancy Company, Taipei is now the ninth most expensive city in Asia for high-end residential rentals, which represents a 16% annual increase since the sur-vey began in 1996. The cost of rental housing in Taipei is comparable to many large cities in the United States such as Boston and Miami.

P

Thailand

The expat housing rental market continues to rise steadily, averaging 3-5% annually depending on location. There is a good supply of new fully-furnished apartments and single houses in the city, as well as larger houses in the suburbs close to the international schools.