An overwhelming 89 per cent of candidates polled in Malaysia say flexibility is a top consideration when weighing up an offer from a potential new employer, according to recruiting experts Hays.
The latest poll conducted by Hays reveals only four per cent of candidates in Malaysia were unsure about how they would rate flexibility as a job hunting consideration.
Tom Osborne, Regional Director of Hays in Malaysia says the poll results are a symbol of the generational change that is influencing the way candidates want to work in 2017.
“Candidates are expecting greater flexibility around their hours of work which in turn, has increased their work-life balance expectations along with the ability to choose options such as ‘active-desking’ or to work from home for example” says Tom.
The introduction of flexible working practices has become more popular as it not only allows an organisation to retain critical skills, but it can also widen the pool of potential talent to include candidates that need such flexibility to remain in the workforce.
As Tom adds further, “the promotion of a modern work environment with new technology and constant challenges is becoming more important in attracting candidates with a greater need for flexibility. These candidates will be attracted to employers that can satisfy their interest for variety and modern technology as this will be more conducive to the alignment of flexible working practices”.
The poll was conducted across five key Asian employment markets with candidates across the region also showing a strong preference for flexible working practices.
A significant 87 per cent of those polled in Hong Kong rate flexible working practices as ‘very important’ when considering an employer and another seven per cent as ‘important’
84 per cent of those polled in Japan rate flexible working practices as very important when considering an employer and 11 per cent as important. In Singapore, those results were 81 per cent and 16 per cent respectively.
Candidates in China were a little less focused on flexibility with 76 per cent rating the benefit as very important when considering an employer and nine per cent as important.
Those unsure about how flexibility would influence their job-hunting decisions were very much in the minority with those in China outnumbering the rest of the region at 16 per cent.
Only three per cent of Singaporeans were unsure how flexible working practices would influence their view of a potential employer with five per cent in Japan and six per cent in Hong Kong reported respectively.
The poll was conducted online at www.hays.com.my between April and June 2017.
For more insights, please see the latest Hays Journal.
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About Hays
Hays plc (the "Group") is a leading global professional recruiting group. The Group is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK and Asia Pacific and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe and Latin America. The Group operates across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments. As at 31 December 2016 the Group employed 9,600 staff operating from 251 offices in 33 countries across 20 specialisms. For the year ended 30 June 2016:
– the Group reported net fees of £810.3 million and operating profit (pre-exceptional items) of £181 million;
– the Group placed around 67,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 220,000 people into temporary assignments;
– 22% of Group net fees were generated in Asia Pacific, 45% in Continental Europe & RoW (CERoW) and 33% in the United Kingdom & Ireland;
– the temporary placement business represented 58% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 42% of net fees;
– Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, the UK and the USA