Why high-flyers are unwilling to flock to emerging markets

Would your next career move be to a job in Europe, America or the emerging markets?

If you are attracted to working for a new player on the world business scene then you are in a minority. The reputations of key emerging markets, including Russia, Eastern Europe and Asia, discourage the best talent from working there, according to Hill & Knowlton’s annual Corporate Reputation Watch, a survey of MBA candidates at leading business schools.

Paul Taaffe, chairman and chief executive of Hill & Knowlton, says: “MBAs graduating in a postEnron world have a strong preference for the companies and countries with the best reputations. Some 86 per cent of our sample rated corporate culture and the working environment as extremely important and just 18 per cent were interested in working in Russia or Eastern Europe.”

Taaffe says that the priority for MBA graduates is to enhance their CVs and finances. “Working in more mature markets, at least initially, is more attractive because they can build their reputation and salary levels, which can then be translated into an emerging market.”