Embrace Gender Diversity And Family-Friendly Policies, Najib Urges

PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak said no one must be left behind as the country marches towards becoming a developed economy, including women.

"Not just women, but also the B40 of our society. It is only then that our economic advancements will have a real meaning to it. No one must be left behind," he said in a blog post today, a day after meeting with representatives of women in the workforce at a dialogue session organised by Talent Corporation Malaysia (TalentCorp).

"I have long been an advocate of gender diversity and family friendly policies, and with the advancement of technology, it is now easier than ever to make this a norm in our workforce," he added.

Najib said it was heartening that more and more companies are answering the government's call to increase women's participation in their work force and practice more family-friendly policies.

An example of this, he said, was the inspiring story of IBM staff Chong Chye Neo, who had taken a long leave of absence twice throughout her career to care for her children, but was able to return to the company without compromising her position and salary.

He also pointed out that PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) was the first among the Big Four accounting firms to announce a 90-day maternity leave for its female workers while the Sunway Group has recorded 26% of women in senior management levels.

"Initiatives like these have allowed talented career women to successfully return to the workforce without compromising their commitment to family and work," he said.

Najib said the Female Labour Participation Rate is currently at 54.1%, which translates to about 700,000 women in the labour force, adding that women in the country now hold 26.3% of top management positions as of 2015.

"These are results of the introduction of various initiatives to support and unlock the economic potential in women," he said.

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