Life Science: Engaging Active and Passive Jobseekers in Europe and Asia

kelly Global workforce index™

ENGAGING ACTIVE AND PASSIVE JOB SEEKERS: LIFE SCIENCES

2Kelly Global Workforce Index™

3 Confronting employee ‘disengagement’

6 Connecting employees in conversation

8 Opening the door to new talent

12 Social media and career networking

15 Online job boards lead the way

17 The employee preference in online job boards

19 Conclusion: Casting a wider net

CONTENTS

The Kelly Global Workforce Index

(KGWI) is an annual global survey

revealing opinions about work and the

workplace. Almost 230,000 people

across the Americas, EMEA and APAC

regions responded to the 2014 survey.

The topics covered in the 2014

KGWI survey include:

• Engagingactiveand

passive job seekers

• Careerdevelopment

• Thecandidateexperience

from hiring to onboarding

• Workerpreferencesand

workplace agility

A total of 31 countries participated in the

survey, utilizing 20 different languages.

Results span workplace generations, as

well as key industries and occupations.

This first installment, on the topic,

Engaging Active and Passive Job

Seekers, examines the nature of the

contemporary job search process

from a candidate’s perspective

across the Life Sciences sector.

It looks at the state of employee

engagement with work, following

a period where many have

been unsettled by industry

restructuring and job cutbacks.

It also identifies the way that employees

are conversing over jobs and work

and the role that online and social

media play in these discussions.

The opening up of new communications

platforms has particular relevance

for employers who want to identify

not only active job seekers, but

passive or ‘hidden’ job seekers.

ThE KELLy GLOBAL WORKFORCE INDEx 2014


Confronting employee disengagementIn the aftermath of the global economic slowdown,

many employees across the globe are showing

signs of ‘disengagement’ from their work.


Globally, less than a third (31%) of

those in Life Sciences say they

are ‘totally committed’ to their current

employers. This has implications for

workplace morale and productivity.

The level of engagement in APAC

(30%) is slightly higher than in EMEA

(27%), but it does suggest a systemic

problem with implications for workplace

productivity and performance.

Looking across countries in EMEA

and APAC, the highest levels of

engagement are in India and

Russia (both 46%), Norway (36%)

and Poland (33%). The lowest are

in Italy (2%) and Hungary (9%).

how ‘committed’ or ‘engaged’ do you feel with your current employer? (% ‘Totally committed’ by Country)

EmPLOyEE ENGAGEmENT

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GLOBALAPACEMEAItalyHungaryGermanyPortugalSingaporeAustraliaMalaysiaFranceSwitzerlandChinaUKIndonesiaPolandNorwayRussiaIndia

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APAC 30% GLOBAL 31%

EMEA 27%

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Closely tied to the notion of

employee engagement is the

issue of how valued employees

feel by their employers.

Globally, 43% of Life Sciences

employees say they feel valued at work,

but with a significantly higher rate in

APAC (50%) than in EMEA (40%).

The highest rates are in Russia

(64%), Norway (60%) and India and

Indonesia (both 57%). The lowest

are in Poland and Italy (both 26%).

To what degree do you feel that you are valued by your current employer? (% ‘highly valued’ and ‘Valued’ by Country)

EmPLOyEE PERCEPTION OF VALuE TO EmPLOyER

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GLOBAL 43%

APAC 50%

EMEA 40%

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Connecting employees in conversationAmid a period of job uncertainty in some regions and countries,

employers face the issue of how best to open or maintain a dialogue

with employees who may be exploring job alternatives. The survey

results show that targeting prospects with regular, personalized

communications can be an effective technique to build a relationship.


When candidates in the Life

Sciences sector are asked about

their preferences, the strongly favored

method (cited by 62%) is for periodic

contact through phone calls, emails and

messages from potential employers

about relevant work opportunities.

This method is greatly preferred in

EMEA (62%) ahead of APAC (49%).

Participation in a firm’s talent community

is becoming more important, particularly

in APAC where 20% have embraced

the idea of talent communities, well

ahead of employees in EMEA (8%).

Which of the following best describes how you would like to be engaged by a prospective employer? (% by Region)

PREFERRED mEThOD OF ENGAGEmENT

0%

20%

40%

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OtherReceive updates on company's financial

performance

Participate in social events/networking opportunities with

company employees

Participate in the company's social

media network

Participate in the company's talent

community/networking with others in online

talent community pool

Receive periodic contact regarding work that fits my

skill set and interests

EMEA

APAC

Global


Opening the door to new talentOnline talent communities are still a relatively new phenomenon, but they

are attracting support in certain markets. An online talent community

is an interactive forum where individuals engage with company

representatives and other community members. They will be informed

about the business, as well as hear about potential job opportunities.

This study focused on employer/company-specific talent pools.


ExPERIENCE IN ONLINE TALENT COmmuNITIES

Globally in Life Sciences, 15% of

workers say they have participated

in employers’ online talent communities.

The average across APAC is 22%,

considerably above EMEA (9%).

Across APAC, there are high rates in

countries including India (32%) and

China (22%), while Russia (24%) and

Hungary (23%) are the highest in EMEA.

have you had any experience participating in an employer’s online talent community? (% ‘yes’ by Country)

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GLOBALAPACEMEAFranceGermanySingaporeSwitzerlandNorwayUKPolandPortugalAustraliaItalyMalaysiaChinaHungaryRussiaIndia

APAC 22%

GLOBAL 15%

EMEA 9% AU

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The advantages of online talent

communities among those who

have participated (15% globally)

largely centre on access to jobs,

cited by almost three-quarters

(72%), and slightly more important

in APAC (68%) than EMEA (61%).

There is also an attraction to the

idea of learning more about a

company, cited by 45% globally.

A total of 38% say they like learning

what it is like working for a company

from current and former employees.

This is much more of an attraction in

APAC (47%) than in EMEA (38%).

ADVANTAGES OF ONLINE TALENT COmmuNITIES

If ‘yes’ to the previous question*, what do you like most about participating in an online talent community? (% Globally, multiple responses allowed)

* Have you had any experience participating in an employer’s online talent community?

0%

20%

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80%

Other Access to trusted industry

information

Access to trusted career

information/tips

Access to relevant skill development information

Learning what it is like to work for a given company,

from current and former employees

Learning more about a

given company

Access to job opportunities

EMEA

APAC

Global


The idea of participating in these

online talent communities holds

appeal for many employees, offering a

glimpse inside a potential workplace.

Globally, among the 85% who have no

experience of online talent communities,

42% say they are either ‘very interested’

or ‘interested’ in becoming involved.

However, there is considerably

higher interest in APAC (55%)

than in EMEA (34%).

Interest is highest in India (70%),

Malaysia (64%) and Poland (60%).

LEVEL OF INTEREST IN ONLINE TALENT COmmuNITIES

If no experience with online talent communities, how interested would you be in participating? (% ‘Very Interested’ and ‘Interested’ by Country)

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GLOBALAPACEMEAGermanyFranceSwitzerlandRussiaUKNorwaySingaporeAustraliaItalyHungaryPortugalChinaPolandMalaysiaIndia

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GLOBAL 42%

EMEA 34%

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Social media and career networkingSocial media has become an important means of

communicating with potential candidates, and a key way

for employees to make critical career decisions.


More than a third (40%) of

Life Sciences respondents

globally rely on social media in

their job and career decisions.

However, the APAC region is well

above the global average at 58%,

while EMEA is below, at 38%.

The most prolific users of social

media in career and/or employment

decisions are China (69%), Malaysia

(67%), Hungary (66%) and India (63%).

Do you use your social media network when making career/employment decisions? (% ‘yes’ by Country)

uSE OF SOCIAL mEDIA NETWORKS IN EmPLOymENT DECISIONS

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APAC 58%

GLOBAL 40%EMEA 38%

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The uptake of social media

means that it is occupying a

newfound place as a direct job

search tool, particularly at a time

when traditional print advertising for

jobs is declining in many markets.

Globally, more than one-third (36%)

say they are now more inclined to

search for jobs via social media than

through traditional means, such as

newspaper advertisements, online job

boards or recruitment companies.

APAC (53%) is well above the global

average in terms of the use of

social media for job searches. It is

also well ahead of EMEA (33%).

In some of the fast growing economies

of APAC, social media plays a prominent

part, most notably in Malaysia (74%),

India (63%) and China (53%).

Would you be more inclined to search for jobs via social media than traditional methods? (% ‘yes’ by Country)

PREFERENCE FOR SOCIAL mEDIA AS A JOB SEARCh TOOL

* ‘Traditional methods’ includes newspaper advertisements, online job boards or recruitment companies.

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APAC 53%

GLOBAL 36%

EMEA 33%

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Online job boards lead the wayThe way that Life Sciences employees secured their

most recent jobs tells much about the changing face of

recruitment and the differing trends in global markets.


Aquarter of respondents, globally,

secured their most recent job via

an online job board, a trend that is most

popular in EMEA (26%) and APAC (25%).

The use of recruitment/staffing

companies and headhunters was

the second most frequent method

of securing work, at 19% globally,

18% in EMEA, but considerably

higher, (27%) in APAC.

Direct approaches from employers/

recruiters constitute about 15%

globally and across the regions.

The use of ‘word-of-mouth’ as a means

of securing work is roughly twice as

common in EMEA as it is in APAC.

how did you secure your most recent job? (% top four methods by Region )

mOST COmmON mEThOD OF SECuRING WORK

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Word-of-mouthDirect approach from employer/recruiter

Recruitment/staffing company/

head hunter

Online job board

EMEA

APAC

Global


The employee preference in online job boardsWith the growth in the use of online job boards to find work,

there have emerged a number of differentiated offerings

to meet the needs of specific target audiences.


The preference among all

respondents are general job

boards that cater to a broad range

of positions and industries. Globally,

68% prefer these, with EMEA (73%)

and APAC (79%), both displaying a

strong preference for these outlets.

Company-specific job boards also have

a relatively strong following, with more

than one-third adopting these globally,

as well as across EMEA and APAC.

Aggregator job boards, which gather

a host of information and place it on a

single site, are preferred by more than

one-third globally (38%), by one-third

in EMEA, but by only 12% in APAC.

Niche and/or association-specific

job boards are the preferred choice

of a formidable 42% in EMEA,

but fewer (27%) in APAC.

Which of the following types of online job boards do you most prefer for searching job opportunities and/or evaluating the marketplace? (% by Region, multiple responses allowed)

PREFERRED ONLINE JOB BOARDS

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Niche and/or association-specific job boards

Aggregator job boardsCompany-specific job boardsGeneral job boards

EMEA

APAC

Global


The advent of digital and online

communications has opened

up a plethora of conversations

about work and the workplace.

Employers now have a number of avenues

both to attract the most compelling talent,

and to convey information about their

businesses as preferred places to work.

This has made it possible to identify and

engage passive job seekers who may be

open to the right job at the right time.

Employees have moved en masse to

online job boards as the preferred vehicle

for searching. They have also been quick

to utilize social media in a variety of

career and job-related discussions.

There is also a growing recognition of

the role of online talent communities

as forums for informed conversations

with past and current employees,

providing prospective candidates with

valued insights into the workplace.

With the opening of multiple platforms

in which to converse and exchange

views, employers in Life Sciences have

an opportunity to make a contribution,

to highlight their core values, and to

canvass a wider array of candidates.

CONCLuSION

Casting a wider net


ABOuT ThE KELLy GLOBAL WORKFORCE INDEx

The Kelly Global Workforce Index (KGWI) is an annual global survey revealing opinions

about work and the workplace. Approximately 230,000 people across the Americas,

EMEA and APAC regions responded to the survey. The survey was conducted online by

RDA Group on behalf of Kelly Services.

ExIT

An Equal Opportunity Employer © 2014 Kelly Services

kellyservices.com

ABOuT KELLy SERVICES®

Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYA, KELYB) is a leader in providing workforce solutions.

Kelly® offers a comprehensive array of outsourcing and consulting services as well as

world-class staffing on a temporary, temporary-to-hire, and direct-hire basis. Serving clients

around the globe, Kelly provided employment to approximately 540,000 employees in 2013.

Revenue in 2013 was $5.4 billion. Visit kellyservices.com and connect with us on Facebook,

LinkedIn, and Twitter. Download The Talent Project, a free iPad® app by Kelly Services.

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https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-talent-project/id451280879

Recruiting & HR

Life Science: Engaging Active and Passive Jobseekers in Europe and Asia