China and Malaysia trump Singapore in number of women management roles

Singapore is the second-poorest performer amongst surveyed countries.

The number of women in managerial positions has increased in Asia, according to global professional recruiting group Hays.

The 2017 Hays Asia Salary Guide reveals that 31% of management roles in Asia are held by women, up from 29% in last year’s Guide.

Now on its tenth year, the Hays Asia Salary Guide highlights salary and recruiting trends drawn from more than 3,000 employers across Japan, mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore representing six million employees.

Mainland China and Malaysia have the highest percentages of women in managerial positions, both registering at 35%. This figure represents a 3% increase for China and 2% decrease for Malaysia.

Hong Kong—the biggest gainer with an increase of 5%—is in third place with 33% of management positions filled by women. Singapore has 31% whilst Japan has 22%, a 3% increase from its performance last year.

“Gender diversity is still a critical issue in Asia, and our research enables us to advise employers on what measures they can take to address gender balance in their recruitment, retention, and progression strategies,” said Christine Wright, managing director of Hays in Asia.

Wright said that in line with International Women’s Day, Hays also conducted a Gender Diversity Survey to uncover attitudes and perceptions of gender equality in the workplace across the region.

“I am proud that 51% of the Hays workplace across the region is female, 44% of females make up our senior leadership teams, and 57% of people managers are female,” Wright shared, adding that Hays, as a global recruiter, has a duty to be at the forefront of global trends and issues regarding the workplace.