European companies are having problems with hiring people from overseas for their China operations due to the country’s strict Covid-19 border controls, European Union Chamber of Commerce in China officials told Caixin at a press conference Saturday.
Although European companies in China can hire locals, some of their new projects in high-end manufacturing and biopharmaceuticals still require skilled overseas professionals who are familiar with new technologies, said Jörg Wuttke, the chamber’s president.
A July survey conducted by the European chamber’s Shanghai chapter showed that 56% of 143 responding companies still had foreign staff unable to return to China. Only about 18% of the respondents said all their foreign staff had returned.