Malaysia Among Asian Countries With More Women In Management Positions

KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 (Bernama) -- With 34 per cent of management positions held by women in Malaysia, the Southeast Asian nation is only slightly behind China which, at 36 per cent, remains the region's diversity leader. According to recruiting expert Hays' 2015 Hays Asia Salary Guide, the figure for Malaysia was up from 29 per cent last year. Malaysia was followed by Hong Kong (31 per cent, down from 33 per cent the previous year) and Singapore (27 per cent, unchanged year-on-year). The Asian average is 29 per cent. Hays found that Japan was still falling behind in the diversity stakes, with women in that country filling just 19 per cent of managerial positions. According to Hays, whose office here is located at the Kuala Lumpur City Centre, diversity remained a business critical issue. Hays in Asia managing director Christine Wright noted that given all the research espousing the benefits of a gender diverse workforce, women were not equally represented in leadership positions, and encouraged to reach their career goals. In calling for greater gender equality, she said more workplaces should embrace flexible working practices, highlight female role models, change organisational policy in support of gender diversity and give better board backing for diversity issues. "One of the best practical measures is to put performance-related promotion policies in place," she said, adding that it would help build a culture of meritocracy and remove unconscious bias from the decision-making process. -- BERNAMA