GUANXI NETWORKS AND JOB MOBILITY IN CHINA AND SINGAPORE

Despite the differences in labor market contexts in China and Singapor e, survey data reveal that in both countries jobs are channeled throug h strong ties more frequently than through weak ties. Moreover, when j ob changers and their ultimate helpers are unconnected, they tend to b e bridged through intermediaries to whom both are strongly or moderate ly rather than weakly tied. Finally, helpers' job status has positive impacts on job changers' attained job status. We consider guanxi netwo rks of exchange relations common to China and Singapore to account for these findings.