As a result, the HR function has become one of the key issues for any developing foreign business in China. Pressed with the need to fill positions quickly, HR departments are hiring it seems at any price, lowering the qualifications they are prepared to accept to dangerous levels. This does not only result in a wage spiral, but also with a far lower level of competence in high end management positions. HR departments are now being thrown into a new era. Whereas originally HR was mainly about recruitment, the focus has shifted increasingly to development and retention and there are indications that salary levels are already beginning to rise - particularly when fringe benefits are taken into account. Average employee life may be no more than a year and so HR departments are under increasing pressure to find ways to retain staff. Candidates are also more sophisticated these days. They are getting choosier and are far more particular about what a company has to offer.