TalentCorp: More Employers Open To Hiring Career Comeback Women

Increased employer participation in TalentCorp’s Career Comeback Networking & Job Fair

KUALA LUMPUR, 25 August 2017 - Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp)’s Career Comeback Networking & Job Fair 2017 saw more Malaysian employers warming up to the idea of hiring women previously on career breaks. The Job Fair held at TM Convention Centre saw a 20 per cent year-on-year increase in the number of employers offering a variety of full-time and flexible job opportunities to these women.

At the Fair, more than 300 job-seeking women, including mothers who had previously left the workforce to raise families, were connected to employers from a range of key sectors, such as financial services, oil and gas, construction, professional services, communications content and infrastructure, among others. They also participated in curriculum vitae (CV) workshops, as well as sharing sessions by Olivia Khor, Head of Legal, PwC Malaysia, and Saffura Chinniah, Head of Communications and Sustainability, Axiata Group Berhad, on their personal career comeback experiences.  
 

Diversity drives performance

Malaysia is losing half its workforce as a significant number of women tend to drop off the workforce in their late 20s to early 30s due to personal or family commitments. CEO of TalentCorp, Shareen Shariza Dato’ Abdul Ghani highlights the importance of bringing women back to the workforce, as diversity has become necessary to ensure the sustainability of businesses.

“Diversity is one of the reasons behind Malaysia’s strong economic growth. Therefore, it is very encouraging to see more employers open to hiring women who had been on career breaks. It is an acknowledgement that women, despite having left the workforce previously, still have a lot to offer in terms of skills and knowledge,” said Shareen. 

According to a McKinsey study in 2015 , gender-diverse and ethnically-diverse companies are likely to outperform other companies by 15 per cent and 35 per cent respectively. 

“When employees feel that they are part of a much more diverse and inclusive workforce, the turnover rate is a lot lower,” Shareen added.  

The Career Comeback Networking & Job Fair 2017 is part of TalentCorp’s national Career Comeback Programme, in support of the Government’s efforts to increase the country’s Female Labour Force Participation Rate (FLFPR). Malaysia’s FLFPR currently stands at 54.3 per cent, on track towards the target of 59 per cent by 2020.