Over espresso a few days  ago  at a Shanghai Starbucks a Western recruiter-friend named Franz (not his real name) told me the worst seemed to be over in the local jobs market. “Multinationals last year stopped making decisions. Our company also works with small- and medium-sized companies, so we were ok in placing staff last year.” This year, though, the multinationals are only looking to place Western expats in China at the highest levels of the organization. “Otherwise, companies want locals in those positions, or expats that want to live in China.” Franz said, “the expat packages now are nowhere near what they used to be – unless a Westerner is at the executive level of a very big company. Now, expats that make their lives in China are offered local packages that have good salaries, but none of the perks of the old packages: healthcare, housing, a couple trips back to the home country each year.”

Still, there is life after the Great Recession.