Volume 2 Issue 1 - 2009
Employee Preference | Global Research Center | Kraft Integrates China Staff 

Employee Preference: Which Nationality Comes Out Tops?

Which nationality is the preferred employer? While the answer across Southeast Asia is invariably American companies, in India Japanese companies appear to be the first choice. European firms come in behind the Americans in every instance. The impact of preferences for certain nationalities of employers may significantly contribute to the ease of recruiting the best talent.

In a recent survey of business people conducted by JobStreet.com and Aon Consulting Japan across India and Southeast Asia, 47% of Indian respondents had a very good opinion of Japanese companies while 38% expressed a very good opinion of American firms. Business people in Southeast Asia have a contrasting view of Japanese and American companies: only 22% have a very good opinion of Japanese firms while 38% thought American firms were very good.

What is your opinion of companies from the following countries or regions?

Singaporean respondents stand out with their negative opinion of any nationality. The average Singaporean positive opinion (i.e. very good or good) of any nationality was 54%, the lowest in the survey. Similarly, Singaporeans had the most negative opinion of any nationality of employers: the average negative opinion (Bad or Very bad) of an employer’s nationality was 12%.

Singaporeans also are more likely to have a negative opinion of their own local employers. Singaporeans were almost equally divided in their opinion of domestic companies; 29% were positive while 24% were negative. The negative attitude toward local employers was the highest across the entire survey.

In contrast, Indian respondents reported an average positive opinion of employer’s nationality of 76%. Negative opinions amounted to an average of only 3%. India’s domestic employers fared quite well will 71% reporting a positive opinion, by far the highest rating of any domestic employers in the survey. Only 4% of respondents indicated a negative opinion of Indian employers. The high opinion of local employers in India is likely to be the result of the positive brand image cultivated among such IT companies as Wipro, Infosys and Tata Consulting.

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Career opportunities make the difference

Across the entire region, career opportunities are viewed consistently as the most important factor when deciding to work for a company. Training opportunities consistently come in second with compensation taking the third spot. The only exception is in Indonesia where Compensation and Training opportunities trade places.

Social contribution is considered very important among 52% of respondents in the Philippines but social contribution is viewed as very important by less than 40% of respondents in all other countries. Singaporeans are on the opposite end with only 24% reporting that social contribution is very important and 29% believing that brand is very important. 

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Conclusion

The results show that nationalities can promote their image in the market and by so doing improve their recruitment prospects. A focus on demonstrating that there are career and training opportunities rather than emphasizing compensation seems to be the winning ticket.

Japanese companies are latecomers to the Indian market and they are not viewed as favorably as American or European firms in Southeast Asia where they have more established operations. Yet, they have been able to rise to become India’s preferred employer by cultivating a positive employer brand image. Similarly, the success of India’s domestic employers, especially in the IT sector, in promoting the attractive work environment that they provide has created a very positive opinion among potential recruits. 

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