Laid-off professionals seek new careers

Xu Xiping knew she would be laid off soon and took action. She got pregnant.

"I knew there was a rule against firing pregnant women. I'd read about other women getting pregnant to avoid a layoff," said Xu, a marketing manager for a foreign bank in Beijing.

Xu's solution may have been extreme, but her problem is shared by thousands of employees of multinational companies, as the global financial slowdown leads inevitably to layoffs.

According to a recent survey, 6 percent of multinationals' local offices have closed or merged; 27 percent have laid off employees, and 69 percent have cut back on hiring. At 5 percent of the companies, layoffs have exceeded 20 percent of the workforce.

Telecommunications, finance, and IT companies have been hit hardest, according to the survey, conducted for the Beijing Foreign Enterprise Human Resources Services Co. Ltd. (FESCO) in mid-November.

For many employees, accustomed to the good life that working for a multinational can afford, the layoffs are traumatic.

"I felt so bad, I stayed in bed for three days without eating or drinking," recalled Sun Jiayin, 32, a single woman who was laid off in October after working as a public relations manager for an IT company for more than four years.

"Finally, I noticed a bottle of vitamins on my nightstand, and I saw the light," she said.

The vitamins, as well as Sun's toothpaste, detergent, and cosmetics, came from Amway. She decided at once to sell for the multinational, direct sales giant.

Sun earned 300 yuan the first month, a far cry from the 12,000 yuan she used to make. But her determination, pleasant personality, and communication skills - the same characteristics that fueled her success at her IT job - soon led to improvement. She made 5000 yuan in February, and believes her prospects are good.

"I like working for myself instead of someone else. I'm more passionate and aggressive than ever," she said.

The number of Amway salespeople has increased sharply in recent months, according to Gan Chee Eng, president of Amway Greater China.

Other direct sales operations have also expanded.

"Many of the people laid off by multinationals are well educated and well trained business professionals who are ideal for direct sales," said Sun Yuben, a professor of marketing at Capital University of Economics and Business.

Internet sales are also a popular choice, because of their low start-up cost.

Wang Min, an accountant for a Canadian telecommunications company, started her e-business while she was on maternity leave. She kept it going after she went back to work, fearing she might be laid off.

"In a multinational company in China, if you are not busy and aren't under a lot of pressure, you know something is wrong," she said.

Now she works full-time on taobao.com, the largest consumer auction site in China. Business has been slow, she says, because customers tend to prefer more established e-shops, but there are other rewards.

"So far, my earnings don't compare to the 10,000 yuan a month I used to make," Wang said, "but I spend less on babysitters, clothing, and entertaining, and I can take care of my baby myself."

Wang's experience is typical, according to Taobao spokesman Lu Weixing. The number of e-shops on Taobao increased by 200,000 between September and December 2008, compared to an increase of 125,000 in the first half of the year. More than 570,000 people now work for taobao nationwide; three percent of them are former white collar workers, according to Lu.

Staying at home also turned out to have its own rewards for Xu Xiping, the pregnant marketing manager. She was not laid off, but her company experienced a severe slowdown and asked many staff members to take a leave without pay.

"After staying at home for several weeks, I found I didn't want to go back to work," said the young wife and mother-to-be.

Her husband's job is secure, which has allowed her to stay at home, take care of her parents, and prepare for her baby.

"Many of my friends and colleagues tell me they missed their child's first steps or words. I don't want to have those kinds of regrets," Xu said.

Once pre-occupied with earning more money and getting the next promotion, Xu says she has found a better life.

"The slowdown has enabled me to discover a new life, which gives me a chance to treasure the value of family," she said. "I intend to grasp it."

(China Daily 03/09/2009 page6)