Category managers from the UK are highly sought after in Australia while Tokyo is desperately headhunting bilingual employees, according to news site Supply Management. These are the findings of the Robert Walters Global Salary Survey 2012 which looks at hiring trends and salary levels across the globe.

The survey shows that procurement professionals from the UK are high in demand in Sydney as more and more employers aim to reduce costs in the next 12 months.

In Tokyo, on the other hand, it is bilingual supply chain specialists that are wanted in multinationals, focusing on improving business continuity plans. In 2011 demand was so high for supply chain professionals that their pay increased by up to 10% in Japan.

The survey also indicated that decentralisation of key functions in 2012 will continue to drive recruitment demand in Japan while business continuity planning will be the main focus in the country’s supply chain market this year.

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