Illustration: Luo Xuan/GT

The year 2016 didn't seem very promising with the plummeting stock market, slowdown across major industries and budget cuts.

Chinese and foreigners who had gotten used to the double-digit economic growth over the past three decades were troubled by the pink slips and little to no new job openings. Employees who were lucky enough to retain their jobs had to bear salary cuts. The promised land didn't seem so promising to either locals or expats.

Many foreigners used the momentary slump as an excuse to return home or move to a new destination, and for young Chinese professionals, it was an opportunity to go for higher studies.

But, after six months of troubled waters, things may be starting to look up. ZW HR Consulting, a recruiting firm in China, has predicted a rise of 8-15 percent in salary for experienced and skilled employees this year, up from 2015.

According to the chairman of ZW HR Consulting, Frank Yu, the shortage of talent in many sectors will place the candidates with specific in-demand skill sets and experience in a position to command higher than average salaries.

"We are seeing a high demand for IT- and life sciences-related jobs as MNCs (multinational corporations) and large local firms continue to aggressively expand their presence in China," he said. "Candidates with international exposure, good language skills, market knowledge, and who are well-disciplined, will continue to receive multiple offers, as well as counteroffers from their current employer."

According to the firm, the most popular jobs will be in IT, sales, marketing, and research and development while real estate, life sciences and banking are set to be the prime sectors in 2016.

In their salary guide for 2016-17, the firm claims that life science professionals can expect a 5-13 percent pay bump.

Despite the slow growth in the manufacturing and supply chain industry, experienced senior and middle management professionals can expect a hike of 10-15 percent as the organizations strive to streamline their processes and increase efficiency while the demand for quality talent continues to outstrip the supply of qualified candidates.

Chinese who have been shying away from learning English or expats who haven't yet started their Chinese lessons, now might be the right time to do so. Candidates with regional or China exposure with English and Chinese language skills are in higher demand and can expect a salary hike of up to 20-25 percent.

As online business continues to grow in China, digital marketing, client relationship management and e-commerce professionals will continue to be in high demand.

The real estate sector will lower its employment of expats and will favor local talent with multilingual or bilingual skills to localize their workforce.

All in all, there might have been a bump in the road, but China is not yet ready to give up its position of the-place-to-be for job seekers. If you have a particular skill set and an optimistic attitude, China may yet have a job for you.

This article was published on the Global Times Metropolitan section Two Cents page, a space for reader submissions, including opinion, humor and satire. The ideas expressed are those of the author alone, and do not represent the position of the Global Times.