Shanghai Companies and Sectors

There is a reason so many architects are working in Shanghai- it offers many opportunities to work well above one's level. For many architecture interns in China, the decision to come here is based on the fact that they can begin working in a more senior position than they would be in their home country almost immediately, and create things that they would simply never have the opportunity to build back home.

While Beijing is China's creative heart and soul, Shanghai still offers plenty of opportunities for those aspiring to work in the creative industries. These opportunities range from copywriting to marketing communications to graphic design and beyond, but they tend to be fast-paced and demanding.

As China opens up to the world and growing personal wealth, Chinese families are able to afford to send their children abroad to purse higher education. Many of them are disappointed with China’s broken education system and anxious about the fierce competition to get into college. The market to teach English (so students can earn high scores on TOEFL and GRE) has experienced an astonishing boom over the past two decades. The growing population of foreigners in China, especially in cities such as Shanghai, has created a huge demand for international schools that are seeking out native English speakers who can also teach subjects like Math and Science.

China's rapid economic growth in the past three decades created a huge market for engineering services. Driven by the government’s housing reform program and Chinese peoples’ rising personal incomes, demand for homeownership has increased considerably and will continue to grow in the near future. As a result, China’s construction firms continue to reap the reward of huge profit and expand their revenue.

As global luxury brands try to appeal to Chinese consumers’ tastes and compete with emerging domestic brands, the industry continues to import talent who understand fashion and luxury and luxury goods. Shanghai is the center of China's fashion world, and is the perfect place to launch a career in this exciting field.

Like most industries in China, the high-tech industry has witnessed a considerable growth in recent years. Despite China’s strong manufacturing power, its high-tech industry has lacked substantial technological innovations. The low number of high-skilled engineers and specialists, little respect for intellectual property and poor technological infrastructure weakened the industry’s growth. This gives U.S. high-tech firms an innovative advantage to enter the Chinese market.

The hospitality industry is an ever-growing throughout China. In Shanghai you'll find a wide array of high-end international hotels, boutique hotels, serviced properties, and large apartment compounds. Second and third-tier cities continue to see expansion of western 4 and 5 start hotel brands.

For foreign companies in China, they are more inclined to hire HR professionals with Western training as recruiters. Along with the rise of the private sector, the HR profession is evolving in China. However, most Chinese recruiters have difficulty meeting MNC standards. This has created a golden opportunity for aspiring young talent to seek HR positions and jump-start a career in the industry. Basic language skills and an understanding of the Chinese labor law will be a great advantage.

China’s sophisticated manufacturing infrastructure, competitive labor force and countless government incentives have made the country the most desirable location for international companies to expand their supply chains.

Shanghai has set its sights on becoming a top-tier global financial center by 2020. Domestic and international companies are looking for young talents with skills and a fresh pair of eyes on Chinese economic inner working. This will be an amazing opportunity for you to jump-start your career!

Expats who have lived in China for an extended period of time are familiar with stories that speak to the country’s lawlessness. For a long time, Chinese regulations and laws can be at best murky, at worst dangerous, to not only foreign investors, but also to Chinese law experts and its citizens. China’s law sector remains to be largely domestic. However, that is set to change. In 2010, China has surpassed Japan to become the world’s second largest economy and is estimated to have the largest economy by 2020.

In the years since reform & opening up to foreign investment, China has risen to become the world's second-largest economy, and Asia's largest. Such a large market means that not only are there a constant stream of foreign companies, but also a growing number of Chinese companies that seek outside help from consultants.

The manufacturing industry is the backbone of Chinese economy. China’s relatively cheap labor and vast market made it the global manufacturing powerhouse. However, as the labor cost rise, the workforce ages and costumers grew more demanding and sophisticated, China must adapt to compete with emerging Asian countries such as Vietnam and Thailand.

As foreign companies enter the Chinese market and Chinese companies seek to go international, the demand for marketing, advertising and PR is rising at a stunning speed.

China is not only well known for its marvelous Great Wall but also its virtual Great Firewall. Media is one of the most controlled industries, and often makes news when journalists cross the government’s capricious red line. Besides the censorship, the media (particularly the print media) also experienced similar setback due to the global economic recession and content digitalization.

Although China has become wealthier over the past three decades, the nation's health care system has not caught up with the pace of its economy. China's psychiatric hospitals are alarmingly understaffed and poorly equipped. They are struggling to meet the country’s growing demand for psychological care.

Real estate internships in Shanghai can range from working in property investment and management to brokerage or private equity. There are opportunities with Chinese and foreign-owned SMEs (small and medium-size enterprises) and, occasionally, in the offices of multi-national industry leaders as well.

Chinese companies are competing to research, test and develop new ideas and technologies with generous incentives from the government. The green energy industry will continue to grow rapidly in China. This creates a great opportunity for you to jump in with fresh ideas and technical input.

Thanks to fast-developing technology, the telecommunication industry is enjoying an unprecedented boom in China! The Chinese telecommunication market has the largest number of subscribers all over the world, and the industry has seen a continuous growth in revenue in recent years.