49% of HR managers in Singapore have not hired returning women in past year: survey

NEARLY half of hiring managers in Singapore have not employed any returning women in the past year, a report from recruitment firm Robert Walters showed on Thursday.

And this comes even as 72 per cent of the women surveyed in Singapore have taken a career break at some point in their lives.

Joanne Chua, account director, South-east Asia and Greater China of Robert Walters Singapore, said: "The capability of women professionals is often questioned once they take maternity leave, or have significant lapses in their career trajectories. When recruiting this group of talent, we would strongly encourage HR and hiring managers to remain objective and provide them with a level-playing field in order to unlock their full potential."

The survey gathered the views of over 2,200 clients and female professionals across China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.