Steinar Opheim

Regardless of who the winner will be, the FIFA World Cup taking place in South Africa is giving us valuable insights into the global job market. 

12 (37.5%) of the 32 teams  playing in South Africa have non-native coaches. Coaches from Argentina are heading three teams. The number of German coaches is also three. Other nations who have for-hire coaches in the World Cup are Brazil, France, Italy, Netherlands, Serbia and Sweden.

There are many things we can learn from this list regarding the global job market. Here are some points:

1. Sports is a growing sector in the international job market

For most nations it is important to perform well at the big sports events. In order to achieve this, the national teams look for the best coaches available. Many nations have realized that they need to start growing their athletes early if they want to succeed. So there is a desire to hire good, foreign coaches also further down in the sports hierarchy in each nation. Other growing sports sectors are the fitness clubs and personal coaching for anyone who would like to get in better shape.

2. Foreign employers look for experts

Except for Serbia and Sweden all the nations listed above are famous for their good soccer teams. Employers hiring people from the global job market are looking for experts. The better you are in your profession, the easier it is to get a job. Since it is usually expensive to hire foreign experts, the employers would like you to pass on your knowledge to the local staff. 
As soon as possible they will try to manage without your expertise. 

3. If you do not produce the desired results, your contract will end

The non-successful soccer trainers will not have their contracts renewed. The same applies to experts in other professions who do not produce the desired results. If you want to stay long term in another country you´ll have to work hard and you need to make sure that you stay on top of your profession.

The list of World Cup coaches also gives us some other interesting facts. Seven of them are in their forties, 14 are in their fifties, 10 are in their sixties and one is more than 70 years old. Notice that none are in their twenties or thirties. The Western job market often fails to value gray hair and experience. Many non-western job markets do. 

Conclusions

1. There is a constant demand for experts in the global job market. We should all aim at being as good as possible in our professions. This is makes us more attractive in the marketplace.
It is also a Biblical principle to make good use of the talents God has given us.

2. We should always try to give our employer the maximum return for the investment he has made by employing us. Equally those registering and starting businesses in other countries should do their best to make their businesses a blessing to the nation they are living in.

3. There is a great need for more gray-haired Christian professionals who are willing to bring their professions and experience with them to other countries.