EMPLOYMENT DOWNTURN FOR WORKING MOTHERS THIS YEAR

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 9 (Bernama) -- In a worrying development for equal opportunities across the globe, this year is expected to see an employment downturn for working mothers due to the reawakening of old prejudices.

A research by workspace solutions provider, Regus, revealed the proportion
of firms intending to hire more working mothers has slumped by one fifth over
the same period last year.

The survey showed only 36 per cent of the companies planned to hire
working mothers this year compared to 44 per cent previously.

It also reveals the residual concerns among a minority of employers,
37 per cent of them fear working mothers show less commitment and flexibility,
33 per cent believe they will leave shortly after training to have another child
and another 24 per cent were concerned about their outdated skills.

William Willems, Regus Vice-President for Australia, New Zealand and South
East Asia, said it was not surprising to see prejudiced attitudes come back
into play with economic belt-tightening and some businesses are evidently still
guilty of applying old-fashioned misgivings to the contemporary environment.

The survey also revealed more than 50 per cent of Malaysian firms were
reluctant to hire working mothers.

While 48 per cent of Malaysian companies planned to add staff, only 41 per
cent of them intend to hire more working mothers.

Meanwhile, 76 per cent of Malaysian employers were particularly concerned
about working mother flexibility and another 52 per cent were worried about
their leave to have another child.

The survey involved over 10,000 business respondents from the Regus global
contacts database who were interviewed between August and September last year.

-- BERNAMA