siavosh

First of all, the Level I is not a qualification in its own (strictly speaking)

That being said, from my limited knowledge of the Indian and Middle East job markets I think the CFA definitely helps. I know in India last year (during the real boom in the stock market) there was a dearth of qualified people to work in research/ derivatives analysis jobs, and I know that they mentioned a shortage of CFA's (whether that refers to candidates or charterholders or both, I don’t recall)

Either way the U.S job market is very different. India and China are still lacking qualified and experienced securities industry personnel. That being said, the CFA alone is no 'guarantee' for anything. Experience, proficiency in English and polish are a couple of other things that employers look for in these markets. Plus in research you need to know financial modeling and have decent writing skills.