CHINA may be the economic epicentre of global growth, but many Singaporeans - notably accountants - are reluctant to travel and work there, especially outside its major cities.

For one Singapore-listed company, China Farm Equipment, this reticence has meant changing its finance managers three times in a short span of time.

Its chief financial officer, Mr Yeap Wai Kong, said bluntly: 'Singapore accountants have the skill sets, but they can't take the travelling.'

'To engage staff who are willing to take a five-hour flight to go somewhere where there is not even a provision shop, stay there for two weeks and deal with staff who have a different working culture, that is difficult,' he said.

The problem of getting staff in finance departments to travel or relocate was thrashed out at a roundtable of chief financial officers (CFOs) yesterday.

It was organised by the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Singapore and recruitment specialists Robert Half. The topic was the challenges faced in building a team of accountants in today's changing environment.

Mr Loo Wen Lieh, group financial controller of Tee Yih Jia Food Manufacturing, has worked in other China firms.

He said: 'There are difficulties in getting Singaporeans to work in finance positions in China. Much of the business development is not in Beijing or Shanghai but in the second-tier or even third-tier Chinese cities.'

Singaporeans with children, for instance, are reluctant to go where there are no international schools.

Mr Loo added: 'The candidates also lack a good command of business Mandarin and some of the soft skills to get used to the Chinese culture.'

In Singapore, China companies continue to dominate foreign listings. Nineteen out of the 41 listings so far this year are China firms.

China Farm Equipment's Mr Yeap said as the number of listings grows, demand will rise for finance professionals to be based in China where operations are.

DFS Venture Singapore's senior vice-president, Mr Robert Yap, also noted: 'We need to have more accountants who are mobile.'

Mr Yap felt that many Singaporeans are comfortable living and working in Singapore, and there is no 'push factor' encouraging them to venture overseas.

Yesterday, the accountants discussed hiring trends, as well as the changing role of accountants.

Beyond the number-crunching and the preparation of financial statements, accountants are also required to be the right-hand men of chief executives and to add value to the business.

Sincere Watch's chief financial officer, Mr Soh Gim Teik, said: 'For the modern finance team, integrity must be there. Technical skills are a given but beyond that, the accountant must be able to connect with other departments of the business.'

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