Female HR leaders and older HR professionals are under-represented in Singaporean HR teams, according to the latest survey by recruitment firm, Elliott Scott HR.
The firm’s
2016 Singapore HR Survey took information from more than 1,200 participants of which 62% were women.
Despite this majority, the survey found that percentages of female leaders decreased the higher up the career ladder. For instance, while 68% of junior HR staff were female, women only accounted for 55% of senior staff.
This figure dropped even further amongst leadership positions, Elliott Scott CEO and owner, Stuart Elliott, told
HRD.
“In an industry full of talented women, just 27% of MD’s are female. It’s a statistic that warrants a closer look,” he said. “Diversity is something we’re championing to the business and yet we’re behind the game internally, in a field where we have far more women than men.”
HR was also missing out on the experience of older HR professionals. In fact, the survey found that 76% of HR practitioners were between the ages of 18 and 44. This is further compounded by the fact that only 4% were employed beyond 54 years old.
“The key question here is whether we’re losing those with great knowledge and experience too soon or whether HR professionals of an older generation simply aren’t able to adapt enough,” Elliott said. “It’s an answer that I don’t have an answer to but with an ageing population it’s something that needs addressing.”
He encouraged HR to embrace knowledge and learning from outside the typical framework – either looking more broadly within the business or examining the HR initiatives and best practices in other markets.
“You won’t be able to translate everything to the HR market in Singapore but it will give you a greater perspective on what you do and ensure that you remain at the forefront of change.
“HR professionals that state that their market is ‘different’ and remain close-minded to external inspiration are always those who get left behind.”
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