life sciences: career development in europe and asia

KELLY GLOBAL WORKFORCE INDEX™

CAREER DEVELOPMENT: LIFE SCIENCES

2Kelly Global Workforce Index™

3 Introduction

4 Employee sentiment remains at low levels

8 Balancing skills with advancement

10 Engaging employees about their careers

14 Employee views on their career prospects

17 Resourcing careers

20 Conclusion

CONTENTS

The Kelly Global Workforce Index

(KGWI) is an annual global survey

revealing opinions about work and

the workplace. Almost 230,000

people from 31 countries across the

Americas, Europe, Middle-East and

Africa (EMEA), and Asia-Pacific (APAC)

regions responded to the 2014 survey.

The topics covered in the 2014

KGWI survey include:

• Engaging Active and

Passive Job Seekers

• Career Development

• The Candidate Experience

from Hiring to On-boarding

• Worker Preferences and

Workplace Agility

This second installment, on the topic

of Career Development, looks across

the EMEA and APAC regions in the Life

Sciences sector to learn what employees

are thinking about their careers and

the skills that underpin them.

The report takes an in-depth look at

employee career aspirations, including

the drivers of career goals and the

factors that matter most in keeping

employees engaged and productive.

It also provides a glimpse into the world

of career management, with insights on

what the best employers are doing to

invest in personnel, and the particular

importance that workers attach to career

development activities such as training,

mentoring and skills development.

THE KELLY GLOBAL WORKFORCE INDEX 2014


Life Sciences employees work in some

of the fastest-growing and most

innovative areas of the global economy.

Getting the right formula for a productive

and engaged workforce is critical to

harnessing the capabilities of this

highly skilled cohort of employees.

This topic seeks to unravel some of the big

questions that are occupying the minds of

employees as they think about the ongoing

process of managing life, learning and work.

What is it that employees really want from

their employers? Where do they want to

be in the next 5–10 years? Will the skills

they currently have be sufficient to get

them there? What are the best employers

doing to help advance their careers?

The findings reveal how Life Sciences

employees are thinking and making

informed decisions about skills,

careers and advancement.

INTRODUCTION

Harnessing skills for success


Employee sentiment remains at low levelsMeasures of engagement and loyalty have a direct bearing

on issues such as employee attraction, retention, morale and

business performance, so they are an important reflection

on the state of health of the Life Sciences workforce.

The mood of the labor market remains

a difficult one for many employers, with

job creation slow, economic recovery

uneven, and a restless sentiment

among much of the workforce.

In this environment, firms that are able to

harness the skills and capabilities of their

workforce will be in a better position to

weather these conditions and prosper.

As will become clear in the following

pages, there is a desire among

employees for skills enhancement, and

an opportunity for employers to invest

in personnel in a way that will benefit

both enterprises and individuals.


The latest Kelly Global Workforce

Index (KGWI) shows that employers

are continuing to confront a challenging

workplace, characterized by relatively

weak levels of employee engagement

and commitment with work.

Respondents in the Life Sciences

sector were asked the question: How

committed or “engaged” do you

feel with your current employer?

Less than a third (31%) of respondents,

globally, say they are “totally

committed” to their current employers.

Just 27% of workers in EMEA

say they are totally committed,

compared to 30% in APAC.

How committed or “engaged” do you feel with your current employer? (% “totally committed,” by region)

EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT

27%

EMEA

30%

APAC

31%GLOBAL


It is a similar picture with regard to the

question of employee loyalty. Globally,

just 29% of employees say that they

feel “more loyal” to their employers

in 2014 than they did a year ago.

In EMEA, only 24% report feeling

more loyal in 2014, while in APAC

it is a somewhat better 38%.

Compared with a year ago, do you feel more or less loyal to your employer? (% “more loyal,” by region)

EMPLOYEE LOYALTY

24%EMEA

38%

APAC

29%GLOBAL


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GLOBAL AVERAGE: 63% EMEA AVERAGE: 63%

APAC AVERAGE: 62%

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Another sign of the volatility

that still characterizes much

of the labor market relates to

employee plans to switch jobs.

Globally, 63% say they intend

to look for a job with another

organization within the next year,

with both EMEA and APAC sitting

close to this global average.

However, there are wide variations

across the survey area, ranging

from more than three-quarters in

Portugal, Italy, India and France, to

a low of 40% in Russia and China.

Do you intend to look for a job with another organization within the next year? (% “yes,” by country)

INTENTION TO SWITCH JOBS


Balancing skills with advancementThe challenge of attracting, nurturing and retaining

quality staff is common to all employers.

Providing opportunities for employee

promotion is obviously an important

part of this, but so too is skills

development at the individual level.

In fact, there is a firmly held view among

many respondents to the survey that

acquiring skills is more important than

advancing up the corporate hierarchy.

Many employees place a premium on

skills development, and understand

the importance of skills to their future

job security and career progression.


When considering what is best

for their career development,

a majority of Life Sciences employees,

globally, say they are more interested

in skills development than advancing

up the corporate ladder.

Globally, 63% are more interested in

acquiring new skills than in reaching a

higher level in their organization (37%).

But there is a strong regional element

to this finding. In EMEA, there is a

resounding focus on skills development

(65%) ahead of advancement (35%).

It is a different picture in APAC, where

respondents are inclined to place

a priority on advancement (53%)

ahead of acquiring new skills (47%).

When considering career advancement opportunities, which statement best describes your immediate career goal? (%, by region)

IMMEDIATE CAREER GOALS

GLOBAL

EMEA

APAC

I am more interested in acquiring new skills

I am more interested in advancing to a higher level

63% 37%

65% 35%

47% 53%


Engaging employees about their careersA key element in talent development lies in ensuring that the people

in the organization are helped to manage and develop their careers.

The idea of structured career

discussions between employers and

employees is one that is central to

effective talent management.

Career discussions tap into a desire for new

capabilities, and are an important avenue

for employer–employee engagement.

However, while many of the career

interactions that take place are well-

intentioned, they are often not

meeting the needs of employees.

Career development interactions need

to be carefully planned so that they are

structured and targeted and so that there

is a productive exchange about individual

career opportunities and limitations.


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GLOBAL AVERAGE: 46%

EMEA AVERAGE: 52%

APAC AVERAGE: 53%

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CAREER DEVELOPMENT DISCUSSIONS

Career discussions should be

an integral and routine part

of sound career management, but

they are frequently not occurring.

Globally, 46% of Life Sciences

employees say they have had a career

development discussion in the past year.

Both EMEA and APAC are somewhat

ahead of the global average at

52% and 53% respectively. (The

global result is dragged down

by just 39% in the Americas.)

The highest incidence of career

discussions is in Indonesia (69%),

Germany (63%) and China (61%), while

the lowest is in Hungary (18%), Poland

(26%), Australia (34%) and the UK (38%).

Within the last year, have you had a career development discussion with your employer? (% “yes,” by country)


The intention behind any career

development discussion should

be to assist employees to acquire

the skills and capabilities necessary

for the next stage of their careers.

But not all career development

discussions produce these

outcomes. Globally, 53% felt that

the career development discussions

they had undertaken helped

them in terms of new skills.

Significantly more workers in APAC

(60%) obtain a direct benefit in

terms of new skills, compared

to those in EMEA (47%).

BENEFIT OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT DISCUSSIONS ON NEW SKILLS

47%

EMEA

60%

APAC

53%GLOBAL

Among those who had a career development discussion in the last year, to what degree do you agree or disagree that the career development discussion was beneficial to you in terms of the opportunity to acquire new skills? (% “strongly agree” and “agree,” by region)


33%

EMEA

55%

APAC

41%GLOBAL

There is also some doubt among

employees about the value of

these career development discussions

in terms of career advancement.

Among the 46%, globally who had

career development discussions with

their employers, less than half (41%)

agreed that they were beneficial in terms

of future advancement opportunities.

But the results vary considerably across

the regions. There were significantly

more workers in APAC (55%) who found

that these discussions helped them

in future advancement opportunities,

compared to just 33% in EMEA.

BENEFIT OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT DISCUSSIONS ON ADVANCEMENT

Among those who had a career development discussion in the last year, to what degree do you agree or disagree that the career development discussion was beneficial to you in terms of potential/future advancement opportunities? (% “strongly agree” and “agree,” by region)


Employee views on their career prospectsSome of the earlier survey findings in relation to employee

commitment and loyalty come into sharper focus when looking

at employees’ views about their immediate career prospects.

What is clear is that employees attach

considerable value to their career prospects

and career trajectory, since it is their

guarantee of job security and prosperity.

Employees also look to their employers

to help advance their careers, and

they will look elsewhere if they see

their careers hitting a roadblock.

Currently, confidence among many

employees is low in regard to their career

prospects with their current employers.

Employers who take active steps to build

careers reap the benefits of both a more

engaged and committed labor force, as

well as a more productive workplace.


GLOBAL AVERAGE: 33%

EMEA AVERAGE: 28%

APAC AVERAGE: 42%

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Globally in the Life Sciences

sector, only one-third of

employees believe that they will have

the opportunity to advance their

careers with their current employers.


(42%) are confident about their

advancement opportunities than

those in EMEA at just 28%.

To what degree do you agree or disagree that you have opportunities to grow/advance your career with your current employer? (% “strongly agree” and “agree,” by country)

OPPORTUNITIES TO ADVANCE OR GROW WITH CURRENT EMPLOYER


27%GLOBAL

A key element in career advancement

in any given position is the

availability of a defined pathway along

which employees can progress.

Globally, 27% of Life Sciences

respondents say that their employers

provide a career pathway that would

afford career advancement.

Significantly more workers in

APAC (37%) say their employers

provide clear career path options,

compared with just 23% in EMEA.

To what degree do you have clear career path options available with your current employer? (% “very clear” and “clear” path options, by region)

PATHWAYS WITH CURRENT EMPLOYER

23%

EMEA

37%

APAC


Resourcing careers As part of the process of developing their careers, employees will

utilize a range of different resources such as training, mentoring,

coaching and assessments in order to fulfill their career ambitions.

With a new wave of empowered employees

taking greater control over their careers,

there is a fresh focus on the effectiveness

of the tools and resources that they use.

Employees identify both the good

and the bad in terms of money spent

on developing their careers.

Employers who do a good job in nurturing

and developing talent have a better

chance of retaining skilled staff and

optimizing their skills in the enterprise.


The most commonly used tool, or

resource, in the career development

area is employer-provided training,

utilized by 49% globally, but with higher

rates in APAC (53%) than in EMEA (43%).

The second most used resource is

training that is sought out or paid for by

the employee, utilized by 33% globally,

34% in EMEA and 30% in APAC.

Other commonly used resources

are mentoring (30% globally),

career tests (22%) and professional

career coaching (20%).

When preparing for career development/advancement opportunities, which of the following resources have you utilized within the last year to realize your strengths? (%, by region, multiple responses allowed)

RESOURCES USED IN CAREER ADVANCEMENT

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Career testsMentoringTraining sought out/paid for myself

Employer-provided training

EMEA

APAC

Global


GLOBAL AVERAGE: 29%

EMEA AVERAGE: 25%

APAC AVERAGE: 32%

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For employers, there is an important

question about the optimum mix of

career development resources, and the

extent to which these are meeting the

needs of employees and the business.

Less than a third of Life Sciences

employees globally (29%) are

satisfied with their employer-provided

career development resources.


(32%) feel satisfied with their

employers’ resource offerings,

compared to 25% in EMEA.

The satisfaction rates point to a

mismatch between employers and

employees in some markets, suggesting

that the employer investment is not

always being put to best use.

What is your overall level of satisfaction with the career development resources offered by your current employer? (% “very satisfied” and “satisfied,” by country)

SATISFACTION WITH CAREER DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES


A generation of more empowered

employees is looking to take charge

of their careers, and with that, utilize

the full suite of tools and resources

that will help them to prosper.

Life Sciences employees are in

strong demand in many markets,

with a growing need for workers

in the STEM (science, technology,

engineering and math) disciplines.

The importance of skills formation

and skills development is greater

than ever for these employees.

The findings of the survey show that

promotion at the expense of skills

may meet a short-term goal but may

not necessarily meet the longer-term

needs of highly skilled workers.

Maintaining and renewing

technical expertise is a core

requirement of this group.

Career discussions with employees

meet a real need. They help forge

career direction and structure, and

they are an important avenue for

employer–employee engagement.

Empowered and autonomous workers

build their strengths primarily through

employer-provided training. They also

seek out and pay for their own training

to continue to build their toolkit so they

are best positioned for the future.

There are a few steps employers can take:

• Develop networks of STEM employees

and stakeholders and arrange thought

leadership programs to expose

individuals to the latest thinking

and initiatives in the industry.

• Fully evaluate existing career

development initiatives to test their

suitability to employees’ needs

CONCLUSION

Making career development a “win-win”and their fit with the organization’s

human capital needs.

• Approach career development

in a structured way as part of

regular performance reviews.

• Consider a career “future-proofing”

exercise to encourage employees to

consider how their industry and their jobs

will evolve, and the skills, qualifications

or training that will be required.

• Develop a knowledge capture program

to harness the skills and expertise

of gifted, expert and longstanding

employees so that this intellectual

property can be retained and harnessed.


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

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