The Hindu Business Line : Indian working women more ready, skills-wise

This could give a big lead for HR managers hiring people across the globe. A multi-country survey by Accenture, cutting across geographies, genders, sectors and age groups, reports that professional women in India (68 per cent), South Africa (63 per cent), China (61 per cent) and Brazil (52 per cent) believe that skills-wise, they are quite ready (in fact, more ready than their counterparts in developed countries believe) to succeed in the global world of 2011.

But overall, less than half of female professionals (43 per cent) across the globe feel prepared to succeed in the global business environment of 2011.

The study, ‘One Step Ahead of 2011: A New Horizon for Working Women,’ covered an equal number of male and female professionals across 17 countries, and collected responses from 4,100 respondents on their idea of skills readiness in six categories: agility, social responsibility, diversity and inclusion, global skills, technology and business relationships.

Technology, according to the study, seems to be the mantra to success in the next decade. Both male (73 per cent) and female (70 per cent) respondents across the world rated technology at the top of their skills readiness assessment. About 83 per cent women said they were willing to learn and use new technologies such as blogs or social networks to achieve future success.

India’s overall skills readiness index is at 4.0 placing it at the ‘very ready’ zone. Technology (4.2 index score) appears to be the skills area where employees feel most ready, but they also cited global skills, inclusion and diversity and building business relationships as areas of strength. As is the global trend, Indian women were far less likely than Indian men to consider relocating to another country.

Speaking to newspersons here at the launch of the report, Ms Rekha Menon, Executive Vice-President, Accenture India, said the study findings indicated to companies in some areas where they could work on to attract talent also help men and women employees equip themselves with skills in the new business landscape.

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