NEWS
ASIA
INDIA
ASIA-PACIFIC
EMPLOYEES MORE SATISFIED THAN ASIAN PEERS
COMPANIES NONPLUSSED OVER CYBER ATTACKS
Staff in India are a content bunch, at least when assessed against their counterparts from the wider Asia-Pacific region. This is the key result of a Michael Page study, which showed that 62% of the professional staff surveyed in India were either “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their current work, as opposed to 54% of their Asia-Pacific peers. The newly-published index also found that 54% of workers in India regarded their country’s economy as in good shape. Across the region, only 33% of staff felt the same about their respective countries’ economic position. The quarterly survey also tested the job confidence of workers in India, with this metric dropping in some of the key cities between the first quarter of 2016 and the second. In Mumbai, for example, job confidence dropped from 62% to 52% over the second quarter, while in Bangalore, only 68% of the survey respondents expressed confidence in their working conditions, down from 75% in the first quarter. Still, Nicolas Dumoulin, Managing Director of Michael
Page India, says there is a general sentiment of optimism in India right now. “The current economic outlook is positive and professionals are encouraged by the commitment to India from both the global and local firms,” he said. “In addition, the government’s ‘Make In India’ initiatives have created more opportunities for India’s export market which has led to increased investment in the manufacturing sector. “In particular, firms specialising in the production of chemicals, plastics as well as pharmaceuticals have established operations here.” The study assessed comparisons between the inputs of about 500 employees in India and around 4,000 employees across Asia-Pacific.
PHILIPPINES
LOCAL HERO RANKED HIGHEST Home-grown food and beverage giant San Miguel Corporation has topped the list of favoured employers in the Philippines. It, along with Nestlé Philippines and Accenture made up the top three organisations in the 2016 edition of JobStreet.com’s Top Companies Report. Other organisations that made the 2016 list respectively were BDO Unibank, Ayala Corp, Coca-Cola FEMSA Philippines, SM Investments Corporatiuon, Google Philippines, Procter & Gamble, and ABS-
6
ISSUE 16.9
HRMASIA.COM
Fewer than one in 10 organisations in Asia-Pacific fully comprehend how cyber attacks are executed. This stark figure was the key takeaway from an online survey by global software security firm Trend Micro. Close to 50% of the employees polled signalled there was no security awareness programme in their companies. Hence, 59% of respondents listed “employees’ lack of knowledge” as the biggest insider risk to cyber security. Other threats included the risk of corporate espionage (10%), disgruntled employees or former employees (13%), employee theft (six percent), and compromised credentials (12%). The survey further highlighted that only 25% of firms were optimistic they were fully equipped to tackle cyber-attacks, while close to 50% expected targeted cyber-attack in 2016. “Cyber threats are real,” said Dhanya Thakkar, Managing Director of Trend Micro, Asia-Pacific. “Furthermore, (they) are becoming more personal and more complicated. Taking control internally of people, systems and processes is the most significant step a business can take toward implementing a sound cyber security strategy. “Companies should enforce rigorous security awareness programmes, implement regular real-life security drills, and encourage people to constantly upgrade skills,” he added. The survey canvassed the views of 300 companies functioning in the Asia-Pacific region, including from Singapore, Taiwan, India, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
CBN Corporation. Wages and benefits were the most important consideration for jobseekers in the Philippines, the report stated. Following this fundamental concern, other drivers for staff ranking their preferred companies to work for included the respective prospects for career advancement, training and development opportunities, and company reputation. The drivers for fresh graduates and those with less than one year’s work experience were slightly different to the broader workforce. They considered training and development schemes the most important factor in their wishlist of top employers, followed by promotion prospects and then competitive salaries
coming in at third only. Those in managerial levels afforded greater weight to higher wages, benefits, and perks, although they were also eyeing firms with fantastic reputations. A total of 14,062 JobStreet.com members participated in the series of surveys that ran between May and July this year.