Nearly half of female human resource managers in Hong Kong say that more women in leadership roles will be a critical success factor for organisations. With women currently representing only 8% of all board-level positions, it seems there is some way to go before gender equality is reached in the workplace.
The 2013/14 Randstad World of Work Report also revealed that for 34% of female employees in Hong Kong, the single biggest motivator to perform well and remain in the role is a strong feeling of being valued and recognised. Furthermore, one in five said they wanted a strong understanding of how the role contributes to achieving organisational goals.
Additionally, when female employees were asked what their top three most important benefits were, 79% rated competitive salary, 55% said leadership and career development and just over a third, 37%, named training and development.
Commenting on the Report’s findings, Nicole Lui, Associate Director, Randstad Hong Kong said, "Female respondents report that their career ambitions are just as high as their male peers. But female workforce participation has remained at around 50% in recent years, which is seen in part due to a lack of subsidised maternity leave and childcare, limiting workforce growth across much of Asia. Staggeringly, over half of female employees, 60%, intend to leave their job in 2014 due to lack of opportunity for growth and uncompetitive salary."
This is serious news for HR, which already faces the challenge of a talent supply shortage. From an employer’s point of view, therefore, developing leadership skills for the next phase of business growth ranks top, 55%, as the biggest productivity challenge organisations will face over the coming twelve months.
Peter Yu, Director, Randstad Hong Kong added, "As talent supply challenges build for companies in Hong Kong, female employees have signalled their intention to exit for employers who can offer stronger recognition and better rewards. Clearly, employers need to address work/life balance, trust and accountability to ensure talent retention and recruitment."
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
