HRO Today Global Autumn 2014 - 50

Regional Report
What is the biggest strategic challenge in the region?
It's very rare for any form of strategic workforce
planning to be put in place in this region. It's an
interesting challenge for our internal clients to work
out. We aren't just considering the next six months or
next 12 months, but three, four years down the line.
Things are shifting: In some sectors it's better than
others. In some of the retail and hospitality sectors,
they've got plans to build hotels or retail outlets for
the next three years.
Does a talent shortage still exist?
There are some strong talent shortages in the region
because the region is developing at such a pace.
Organisations have to consider how the labour market
can keep up with the demand. One approach on the
table right now is to import talent from other regions
to train and develop local talent. These specialists can
also provide key skills.
What is the view on employability issues?
There's still a very strong sentiment around
employability issues. There have been millions of
college graduates each year, but many of them
are coming into the workforce with not enough
of the employability skills that businesses need. So
there's a lot of need for development in increasing
employability. There's a very strong sense of theory
in many education systems in this region, but not so
much the employability elements that help in the
workforce.
But there's also a lot more collaboration happening
directly with universities. So organisations are creating
partnerships with those universities much earlier.
We've seen it in China, for example, in the banking
sector. Certain banks have partnered very closely with
faculties and almost provided an education program
linked to employability.
We also have a new client in the luxury sector for
health and beauty in China, which is a big, growing
market. They've created strong partnerships with
health and beauty colleges to infl uence the way
people come into their organisation. The demand for
[50]
HRO TODAY GLOBAL
| AUTUMN 2014
entry-level talent is being supplement to an extent by
partnerships and education.
Outside of that, it is pretty challenging for
organisations, and the only way it can be supported is
creating these partnerships and creating internships. But
they're not compulsory with every degree.
What are some current outsourcing challenges?
The sophistication of the talent acquisition and
management function within Asia is still developing.
In many cases, it's quite a bit behind the developed
markets in Europe and the U.S. in terms of structures
and capability. But we do see a lot of interest in
companies creating a lot more structured approach to
talent acquisition and management. Companies in the
last year have been launching centres of expertise for
talent acquisition and management for the fi rst time.
In the past, there's never been a dedicated recruitment
function; everything's been handled by HR generalists.
I think that's an interesting point that relates to
outsourcing.
What are some trends occurring in emerging markets?
In some of the emerging markets, there's continued
growth in project-related outsourcing. Outsourcing
models are designed to cope with fl ux and demand
over a specifi c period of time. We did project work
in Malaysia last year for an innovative engineering
manufacturing operation, and that was a six-month
sourcing program to support them with the build of a
new R&D center. And then we stepped out.
There's still a gap in capability of some of the specifi c
knowledge bases that are being applied to talent
acquisition and management or in HR in other parts
of the world. Things like data, technology capabilities,
and deep social media expertise is still pretty new to
them, with the exceptions of markets like Australia and
New Zealand. So a lot of organisations are looking for
support in those areas on a consultative basis.
HRO Today Global Autumn 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of HRO Today Global Autumn 2014
