Angel investor profiles revealed… Email and SMS allowed on the plane… Offshoring elite jobs

Honey, don’t call me angel

Angel investors do not like the term, even though most invest in new business opportunities for more than just the money, a new survey shows.

A Federal Government survey, based on 46 interviews of individuals and 12 of investment network leaders, found that most have other full-time occupations.

No surprises that angels are almost always male. What is surprising is that 72% have a business degree in commerce or economics. The angels have an average of eight investments with very few investing in more than 20 at a time. The average amount invested is about $350,000.

While almost all say financial returns are the main reason for investing, almost as many say enjoyment and satisfaction are also very important.

And no wonder. Most say they have had at least one very successful investment that has returned more than 10 times the original capital, usually within three to five years.

Email and texting from the air

Remember when you were allowed to smoke in-flight. It made some people very happy and many others very unhappy. A communication equivalent looks to be nigh.

From next week, Qantas will allow some passengers to use their mobile phones in flight, reports The Australian Financial Review. At this stage it’s a three-month trial involving one aircraft, a Boeing 767, which will fly domestic routes.

Apparently, the electronic interference concerns that prevented switching on in-flight previously have been overstated. In a concession to those who would be irritated by mobile chatter as they try to unwind in-flight, passengers will be permitted only text and email.

But think twice before your thumbs start twitching. Texts will incur international texting rates and email will be charged at international data rates.

Skilled white-collar elite jobs moving to India and China

The work done by some of the highest paid workers in the developed world is shifting to the rapidly growing economies of China, India and Brazil, reports The New York Times.

Software development, pharmaceutical development, business and share analysis are some of the functions going offshore. And aeroplane manufacturers Boeing and Airbus, investment bank Morgan Stanley, consultant Accenture and pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly are some of the companies taking advantage of cheaper wages in the developing countries. Cisco Systems, the leading maker of communications equipment, has decided that 20% of its top talent should be in India within five years.

The newspaper writes that this is not a zero sum game, in which every job comes at the expense of one in the developed world. In many cases the new educated workers are taking advantage of growing demand in their home countries.

But there is no denying that some jobs are being shifted.