Charities Struggle to Compete in China's Booming Economy

HIV AIDS, endangered animals, migrant children and cultural heritage are just a few examples of the issues addressed by charities in China. However, the country's booming economy is making it harder for these organizations to attract skilled workers. The answer, according to one expert, is better education. CRI's Dominic Swire has more.

"Basically, I want to change my life and I want a more challenging job."

This is the voice of one young Chinese worker who declined to give her name. She's looking to further her career.

"My dream job would be to work for the UN, so I figured working for an NGO would be a step in-between."

This girl was recently offered what she describes as a dream job to work with the China branch of international charity Greenpeace. But she turned them down.

"I hoped for more than what I make now but what they offered was a couple of hundred kuai lower than what I make. So I thought, yes, it's a good opportunity but I don't want to go backwards, and plus I think I'm worth more than that."

Charities in China cover issues ranging from endangered animals and HIV AIDS to migrant workers and the environment. But the good work they do is being jeopardized because they're losing out in China's competitive job market.

Joseph Loftus is Director of the BRICKS Great Wall Appeal, a charity that offers management consultancy services to other charities.

"The economy has been expanding so rapidly for so long, that it soaks up all the management skills available, the business sector is soaking up any of the talent that's available, which leaves no surplus of talent that have the luxury of devoting themselves towards the charity sector."

Charities everywhere have trouble competing with the private sector to find skilled employees. But the problem is magnified in economies like China that are experiencing fast growth. Wang Xiao Lu is the Deputy Director of the National Economic Research Institute of the China Reform Foundation. He says the answer lies in better education.

"If you improve the education system I believe it can moderate the problem, it can improve the supply of human resources so can partially solve the problem, I think."

Increasing the quality of Chinese graduates could well be the answer. But this will take time to achieve. For now, it seems charities in China may have to get used to a more competitive environment.

For CRI, I'm Dominic Swire.