financial services: engaging active and passive jobseekers in europe and asia

kelly Global workforce index™

ENGAGING ACTIVE AND PASSIVE JOB SEEKERS: FINANCIAL SERVICES & INSURANCE

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

Financial Services & Insurance sector.

It looks at the state of employee

engagement among a group of workers

who have been at the forefront of recent

economic and financial upheaval.

It also examines the way that employees

are conversing about jobs and work

and the role that online and social

media play in these discussions.

With these conversations taking place,

the survey looks at some of the ways

that ‘hidden’ job seekers can be

identified and, perhaps, encouraged

to become prospective candidates.

ThE KELLy GLOBAL WORKFORCE INDEx 2014


Confronting employee disengagementEmployees across the Financial Services & Insurance sectors have

seen a lot of career instability, dislocation and downsizing since

the onset of the global financial crisis in 2008. While conditions

have improved markedly since then, there still remains a degree of

fallout, reflected in the level of employee commitment to work.


Globally, less than a third

(30%) of those in Financial

Services & Insurance say they are

‘totally committed’ to their current

employers. This has implications for

workplace morale and productivity.

In the APAC region, this level

of engagement (30%) is slightly

higher than in EMEA (24%).

Looking across countries in EMEA

and APAC, the highest levels of

engagement are in India and Norway

(both 44%), Indonesia (39%) and Russia

(35%), while the lowest are in Italy

(3%), Hungary (8%) and UK (15%).

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

EmPLOyEE ENGAGEmENT

0%

10%

20%

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50%

APAC 30% GLOBAL 30%

EMEA 24%

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Closely tied to the notion of

employee engagement is the

issue of how ‘valued ‘employees feel.

An employee’s perception about

value, or worth, impacts on a host of

workplace performance outcomes.

Globally, 40% of Financial Services

& Insurance employees say they

feel valued at work, but with a

significantly higher rate in APAC

(48%) than in EMEA (37%).

The highest rates are in Russia (58%)

and India and Indonesia (both 56%),

while the lowest are in Italy (16%),

Portugal (26%) and France (28%).

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

0%

30%

20%

10%

40%

50%

60%

GLOBAL 40%

APAC 48%

EMEA 37%

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Connecting employees in conversationOne of the challenges for modern employees in many industries

revolves around the issue of how they keep their future

employment options open without actively canvassing a change

of jobs. This means they need to have lines of communication

at a firm or industry level. The survey directly asked employees

how they like to be engaged by a prospective employer.


The strongly favored method

(cited by 58%) is for periodic

contact through phone calls, emails

and messages from employers

about relevant work opportunities.

This method is greatly preferred in

EMEA (58%) ahead of APAC (44%).

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 (10%).

Participation in a firm’s social

media network is preferred by 11%

globally, while taking part in social

and/or networking events with

employees attracts about 10%.

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%

60%

80%

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 technique in

talent pool management but they hold appeal in certain markets

and are gaining traction in others. An online talent community

is an interactive forum where individuals interact 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 Financial Services &

Insurance, 19% of workers say

they have participated in employers’

online talent communities. The

average across APAC is 25%,

considerably above EMEA (11%).

Across APAC, there are high rates

in countries including India (37%)

and Indonesia (35%), while in

EMEA, the highest participation is

in Russia (18%) and UK (16%).

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

0%

30%

20%

10%

40%

GLOBAL 19%

APAC 25%

EMEA 11%

FRA

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The advantages of online

talent communities among

those who have participated (19%

globally) largely centre on access

to jobs, cited by three-quarters.

There is also an attraction to the

idea of learning more about a

company, cited by 46% globally.

A total of 39% say they like learning

what it is like working for a company

from current and former employees.

This is more of an attraction in

APAC (47%) than in EMEA (36%).

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%

40%

60%

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

a certain amount of appeal for

many employees, offering a glimpse

inside a potential workplace.

Globally, among the 81% who have no

experience of online talent communities,

44% say they are either ‘very interested’

or ‘interested’ in becoming involved.

However there is considerably

higher interest in APAC (49%)

compared with EMEA (38%).

Interest is highest in India

(66%), Indonesia (55%), Portugal

(55%) and Malaysia (52%).

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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GLOBALAPACEMEAGermanyUKFranceNorwayItalyRussiaSingaporeSwitzerlandAustraliaPolandHungaryChinaMalaysiaPortugalIndonesiaIndia

GLOBAL 44%

APAC 49%

EMEA 38%

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Social media and career networkingSocial media has taken on a new level of significance as a

platform for discussion about work and career opportunities.


More than a third (37%) of Financial

Services & Insurance respondents

globally say that they rely on social

media in their job and career decisions.

However, the APAC region is well

above the global average at 52%,

compared with EMEA at 36%.

The most prolific users of social

media in career and/or employment

decisions are China (70%), India (63%),

Indonesia (54%) and Poland (52%).

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

USE OF SOCIAL mEDIA NETWORKS IN EmPLOymENT DECISIONS

0%

30%

20%

10%

40%

50%

60%

70%

GLOBAL 37%

APAC 52%

EMEA 36%

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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 (38%)

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 (55%) is well above the global

average in terms of the use of

social media for job searches. It is

also well ahead of EMEA (36%).

The preference for social media

over traditional job search methods

is most pronounced in India (71%),

Indonesia (61%) and Malaysia (58%).

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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GLOBALAPACEMEAGermanyNorwayPortugalRussiaSwitzerlandUKHungaryAustraliaItalyPolandChinaSingaporeFranceMalaysiaIndonesiaIndia

GLOBAL 38%

APAC 55%

EMEA 36%

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Online job boards lead the wayThe way that Financial Services & Insurance employees secured

their most recent job tells much about the changing face of

recruitment and the differing trends in global markets.


More than a quarter (26%) of

respondents, globally, secured

their most recent job via an online

job board, a trend that is obvious

across EMEA (28%) and APAC (25%).

The use of recruitment/staffing

companies and headhunters was the

second most frequent method of

securing work, at 19% both globally

and in EMEA, but at a considerably

higher rate (24%) in APAC.

Direct approaches from employers/

recruiters are consistently

14–15% in all the regions.

The use of word-of-mouth as a means

of securing work is at a higher rate

in EMEA (12%) than in APAC (7%).

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

mOST COmmON mEThOD OF SECURING WORK

0%

10%

20%

30%

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 specific target audiences.


The preference among all

respondents are general job boards

that cater to a broad range of positions

and industries. Globally, 81% prefer

these, with both EMEA (91%) and

APAC (86%) reflecting this pattern.

Company-specific job boards also

have a relatively strong following with

more than one-third (35%) adopting

these globally, with not dissimilar rates

in EMEA (31%) and APAC (38%).

Aggregator job boards, which gather

a host of information and place it

on a single site, are preferred by

almost one-third globally (31%),

but by significantly more in EMEA

(27%) than in APAC (10%).

Niche and/or association-specific job

boards are the preferred choice of

11% in EMEA, and 18% 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

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

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 in the sector 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.

Employers will be mindful that the

turbulence in the industry over recent years

has left some employees jaded and restless.

While many employees may not be

actively looking for alternative work,

there are avenues they can use to explore

opportunities and keep their options open.

Online talent communities are

one such platform. They facilitate

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 have an opportunity to make a

contribution, to highlight key values, and

to attract 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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