That is the ultimate dream of young, vibrant and ambitious yuppies. No? Everyone wants a fat paycheque and a bright future. I have been reading quite a fair bit about jobs and came to the conclusion that its all based on the industry and the company. These factors will determine whether or not the company is “willing” to reward young upstarters or just let them be in the market again.

Industry is quite straightforward. The more “hot” the industry, the more it can afford to pay its underlings. Currently I have identified a few good industries that can afford to pay:

i. Oil and Gas.
ii. Banking / Finance.
iii. Hotel and Tourism.
iv. Airlines.
v. Pharmaceuticals / Healthcare.
vi. Retail and Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG)
vii. IT (only if you are GOOD).
viii. Consultancy (Accountancy, Advocacy, Agriculture, etc)
ix. Plantations.

Local (read: Malaysian) multinationals (MNC’s) don’t really give a jack about their employees and would squeeze you till the last drop with enough just to have a decent meal once a month. Let’s not even go to other smaller local companies that don’t even provide health care and just give you a measly 10 days leave.

Plantations offer quite good bonuses (from 3 months to more than 6 months) depending on the company. There’s also other factors like housing facility provided for in the plantations.

It is interesting to note that FORTUNE Magazine’s Best Companies to Work For (2007) isn’t really all bells and whistles. This might suggest that it is a paid survey but some of it reflects on the culture of our western counterparts. Sadly, us Asians have a long way to catch up in that department.

I hope to someday be employed into an international firm that gives me more exposure and provides a overall good package.

Well, its that time of the year again…bonuses have been paid out and the hungry will been hunting for new jobs to feed themselves.