Guangzhou – formerly known as Canton – is the capital of Guangdong province. It's the country's third largest city (after Shanghai and Beijing) and a favorite among expats due to its booming economy and abundance of amenities. A multitude of professional opportunities are available for foreigners hoping to work in Guangzhou, but it's always a good idea to start by exploring the sectors with the highest employment potential.
Important:
Since the COVID-pandemic, traveling to China, as well as obtaining the needed visa and work permit, has become substantially more complicated. Remember that even if you secure a job offer, you may need to wait until the situation changes before traveling to the country.
Guangzhou economy
Guangzhou has a very dynamic and prosperous economy, which is mainly based on import and export, industry, trade, and technology. In fact, Guangzhou is one of the most important manufacturing regions across China.
The city hosts several economic areas, including the Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, the Guangzhou Nanshan Export Processing Zone, the Guangzhou Free Trade Zone and the Guangzhou Science City. The Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone is mainly based on the development of the latest technologies, while Guangzhou Nanshan Export Processing Zone includes companies involved in biotechnology, automotive parts assembly, heavy industries, etc.
The Guangzhou Free Trade Zone mainly promotes international trade, logistics and software production, among others. In Guangzhou, you will also find international companies, such as NetEase, NASDAQ, Honda, and many others.
The city is also known for its booming fashion industry and huge sprawling shopping malls like Mall of the World, Happy Valley, Wanguo Plaza and others. Shoppers from all over China come to the city's wholesale clothing market - Baima Garment Market.
The job market in Guangzhou
There are lots of job opportunities for expats in Guangzhou — and they cover a large scope of specialties.
If you are looking to work in manufacturing, fields like automation, electronics and petrochemicals may be the most promising. High-tech manufacturing, in particular, has attracted a lot of foreign and local investment. You will find both Chinese and international tech companies hiring expats for a variety of positions, including senior management.
You will also find a lot of employment options in international trade, sales and marketing. A lot of companies in Guangzhou make products for export, and they need sales and marketing professionals fluent in foreign languages and familiar with foreign markets.
Areas such as hospitality and tourism have also seen a lot of development in recent years. You will find all the major international hotel chains in Guangzhou as well as well-established Asian hotels where expat professionals are in high demand.
Opportunities are also available in areas like banking, finance, logistics, communications and media.
English teaching remains a popular “foot in the door” for expats when it comes to working in China. However, securing a position as an English teacher in China has become substantially more difficult following the pandemic and the introduction of the double reduction policy. The new policy encourages Chinese students to limit the number of extra-curricular activities they are involved in, which has affected the English teaching industry and has led to the closing of a number of training centers across the country.
Job-hunting in Guangzhou
You have several options for job hunting in Guangzhou.
If you are job hunting from outside China, the best place to start is online. There are lots of websites that specialize in bringing together expats and employers in China. Check out websites such as Echinacities, Expat Jobs China, ChinaTeachingJobs, JobsDB, etc.
Another useful tool in remote job hunting in Guangzhou is social media. Make sure your Linkedin account is fully updated and indicates that you are open to new opportunities. It is also a good idea to change your Linkedin location to Guangzhou so that your profile is more visible to employers and headhunters in the area.
If you are an experienced professional, your job search will be more efficient if you go through a hiring agency. There are a number of agencies in Guangzhou that specialize in matching expats with employers in China, including Michael Page, CHN HR Service, NHGlobalPartners, SVA Recruitment, among others. Once again, you can also use your Linkedin account to reach out to individual recruiters in Guangzhou.
Yet another way to go about your job search is to contact potential employers directly. You can look up companies in your field with offices in Guangzhou and check their website for potential employment opportunities. You can also reach out to their HR departments and inquire if there are any openings in the department you want to work in.
You can also check with employers in your home country. A lot of companies have branches and manufacturing facilities in China. Finding a job in your home country first and then exploring relocation options may be one of the best ways to have a secure in China. Additionally, foreign companies typically provide their employees with generous relocation packages that include perks such as moving costs, accommodation, living expenses, education for children, tickets to fly back home for holidays, and more.
Before you set out on your job search in Guangzhou, make sure to download the WeChat app. It's the number one app in China with over 900 million users and is used for most online communication in the country. WeChat is primarily a messenger app, but you can also use it for work calls, sharing documents, holding online meetings, setting up work group chats, and more. WeChat is also a social media, shopping, and contactless payment tool.
If you want to search for work once you have moved to China, you can still do all of the above. However, to work in China legally, you will need to apply for a work permit and residence — and the only way to do that is from outside of China. So, if you secure a job offer, you will need to travel back home and apply for a work visa before starting your employment.
Important:
Currently, you can only travel to China if you have a valid residence permit. You will also need to undergo a quarantine on your arrival. Make sure to check the latest entry requirements to the country before making any travel plans.
How to apply for a work visa to China?
As we've mentioned above, the only way to work in China legally is to apply for a work visa. This is a three-step process:
- First, you need to apply for a work permit
- Second, you will need to obtain a PU a letter
- Finally, you can apply for the work visa itself.
Let's look at this process in a bit more detail.
First, you need to make sure you are eligible to apply for a work visa to China.
A work visa applicant must:
- Be between 18 and 55 years old
- Have at least a Bachelor's degree
- Have TEFL certification and from 100 to 120 hours of teaching experience (when applying for a teaching position)
Note that depending on your line of work, there may be additional eligibility requirements relevant to your specific position.
All work visas in China are classified into three categories:
- Class A (high-level talent)
- Class B (professional personnel)
- And Class C (non-technical and service workers hired for seasonal/temporary projects).
The eligibility requirements may differ depending on the class of the working visa you are applying for.
As we've mentioned above, applying for a work visa in China is a multi-step process, and you may be required to present specific documents at different stages of the process. In most cases, to apply for a visa to China, you will need to have the following papers ready:
- A passport valid for at least six months and with at least three blank pages
- Copies of some or all pages of your passport
- Copy of your Bachelor's Degree, TEFL degree (when applying for a teaching job) and proof of other relevant qualifications. All of these should be translated into Chinese and authenticated.
- Ten passport-size photos taken according to the current visa photo requirements
- qualifications, authenticated and notarized
- Job invitation letter from your new employer
- Proof of a clear criminal record
- Duly filled in Z visa application form
- Any additional documents that may be requested in your case.
The first thing you will need to start the job application process is to obtain a job offer. Having a valid work contract is essential for applying for a work visa in China. You will also need to make sure that your employer is capable of sponsoring your work visa. There are special requirements for companies in China that want to employ foreigners, and your employer will need to meet these requirements to provide you with a visa.
Once you have secured a work contract, you will need to ask your employer to send you an official invitation (work permit notice).
Next, you may need a PU letter, which is an invitation that is issued by the China Foreign Affairs Office. The PU letter confirms that you have officially been approved to apply for a work permit. Whether you will need a PU letter or not depends on your country of origin as well as the policies in place at the time of your application. There have been quite a few changes with PU letter requirements recently: the letter requirement was scrapped from the work visa application process a few years ago and then reintroduced during the pandemic. However, recently, the letter requirement has been waived again for certain visa types and nationalities.
As of June 15, 2022, applicants from the following countries don't require a PU letter: the United States, Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia and South Korea.
As the related requirements change frequently, make sure to check with your local Chinese embassy or consulate whether you need a PU letter to apply for a work visa.
Good to know:
Some companies may still advertise their job offers even if they can't provide you with a PU letter. This is because they may be hoping that the PU letter requirement will be waived in your case. For instance, if you are currently holding a valid work permit in China, you won't need a PU letter. Make sure you ask the company you want to work for whether they can provide you with a PU letter if you need one to apply.
Once you've collected the above documents, you can apply for the work visa itself. You can submit your application at your nearest embassy or consulate in China. Note that you will need to make an appointment first.
If your application is approved and you receive your work visa, make sure to check if all the information on your visa is correct, such as your name's spelling, type of visa, entry date, length of stay, etc.
When you have received your work visa, you will be able to travel to China. But while a work visa grants you entry into the country, it only allows for a limited stay. It is essential that you start your residence permit application process as soon as you arrive in China to make sure you complete your application in time.
Important:
Obtaining a work permit is the only way to work in China legally. With that, you may find job offers (especially in English teaching) that won't provide you with the needed documents. While quite a few expats engage in such employment offers, the consequences for working illegally in China are severe. You risk facing heavy fines and deportation, and may even be banned from visiting China in the future.
We do our best to provide accurate and up to date information. However, if you have noticed any inaccuracies in this article, please let us know in the comments section below.
