FROM bankers to factory workers, employees in the West face the bleak prospect of losing their jobs as a global recession starts to bite.
For their counterparts in the East, however, the pain is more likely to come through a pay cut.
Human resource (HR) experts say cultural differences explain why Asian firms try harder to preserve jobs in difficult times, which will stem unemployment and may help keep Asian economies afloat.
This approach may also make it easier for Asian firms to recover quickly from the downturn since they will not need to rehire or train new staff, leaving some experts predicting a Western shift to Eastern flexibility.
Mr Steven Pang, Asia regional director of head-hunting firm Aquent, said that in many East Asian firms, there is an obligation "to take care of members of the family and go through the pain together", even if that means incurring losses.
In contrast, Western companies often feel compelled to make dramatic statements to show investors they are serious about cost-cutting, he said.
American firms from General Motors to Goldman Sachs plan to axe workers by the thousand, but at the Asian units of Western multinationals, job cuts will probably be less severe.
Mr Mark Ellwood, who heads the Singapore, Malaysian and Thai operations of executive search firm Robert Walters, said labour laws inmost Western nations favour employees and make it difficult for firms to cut pay without attracting lawsuits from disgruntled employees.
HR experts say that while there are noticeable differences in labour practices in the East and West, the gap will narrow as more firms become more multinational, and competition forces them to adopt the best practices of rivals from abroad.
