These 5 Malaysian Employers Hired The Most Number of Career Comeback Women in 2017

Our winners with Dato' Sri Rohani Abdul Karim, Minister of Women, Family and Community Development.

In a world where the race for technology pits countries against one another, never has the call for an increased participation rate of women contributing to our economy been louder. According to a McKinsey & Company report^[1] published in 2012, better gender parity for Malaysia would mean increasing our nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by RM3 billion.

However, while women represent about half the nation's population and 62 per cent of public university,^[2] this has not translated into improving women's participation rates in our workforce. Unlike its counterparts in East Asia, the labour participation profile for Malaysian women by age does not display a 'double peak'. This means that the women who leave the workforce, often do not return to work again.

Dato' Sri Rohani Abdul Karim, Minister of Women, Family and Community Development (5th from left) presenting the award for first prize to Nora Manaf, Group Chief Human Capital Officer of Maybank Group, along with Shareen Shariza Dato Abdul Ghani, CEO of TalentCorp (4th from right).

That is why it is important that more family-friendly policies are needed in order to attract our women back to work. Greater flexible work arrangements (FWA) will enable women to balance their priorities between juggling work and caring for their families.

Ahimmat bin Mydin, Executive Director of Mydin Mohamed Holdings Berhad (6th from left) receives an award on behalf of his organisation for being supportive towards the national woman agenda.

In conjunction with this year's International Women's Day (IWD) theme #PressforProgress and in support of the Government's announcement that 2018 is the Year of Women Empowerment, TalentCorp launched the inaugural Career Comeback ReIGNITE Award to recognise Malaysian employers who go all out to recruit career comeback women.

Mohd Reza Mohd Hatta, Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning, Credit Guarantee Corporation Malaysia Berhad (5th from left) accepts an award for the organisation's efforts in recruiting women on career breaks.

The award ceremony, held at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology in Cyberjaya was in conjunction with the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development’s IWD celebration. Presenting the awards were Dato' Sri Hajjah Rohani Abdul Karim, Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, and Shareen Shariza Dato’ Abdul Ghani, TalentCorp’s Chief Executive Officer.

The winners of the TalentCorp Career Comeback ReIGNITE Award 2017/2018 are, in order:
1. Maybank Group
2. Mydin Mohamed Holdings Berhad
3. Keysight Technologies Malaysia
4. Credit Guarantee Corporation Malaysia Berhad
5. PwC Malaysia

Keysight Technologies Malaysia was among the Top 5 Employers who hired the most number of career comeback women in 2017. Accepting the award on behalf of the organisation was Angela Cheong, Vice President, Human Resources, Keysight Technologies Malaysia.

“Women are an integral force for social and economic progress in Malaysia,” says Shareen.

We are pleased to recognise Malaysian employers who have not only invested substantially in championing work-life policies and practices but have also demonstrated openness in their women recruitment policy by providing career opportunities for women who have been on career breaks."

PwC Malaysia was also among the Top 5 Employers who hired the most number of career comeback women in 2017. Accepting the award on behalf of the organisation was Pauline Ho, People Partner, PwC Malaysia.

In 2015, TalentCorp launched the Career Comeback Programme to facilitate and increase career opportunities for women looking to return to the workforce. To date, the programme has helped over 600 women returning from career breaks to find professional opportunities in various sectors. TalentCorp has also worked with leading employers since 2013 on attracting and retaining the best talent (women included) through the implementation of work-life practices and other support practices.

^[1]Women Matter: An Asian Perspective (McKinsey, 2012)
^[2]Macro Higher Education Institution (Ministry of Higher Education, 2016)

If you are an employer who actively provides career opportunities to professional women returning to the workforce, the Career Comeback Grant is for you. To apply, you can contact the team at careercomeback@talentcorp.com.my or visit here for more information.

Tags: CAREER COMEBACK PROGRAMME, REIGNITE, WOMEN, WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE