Hiring and developing emerging talent in Asia Pacific

Talent Acquisition is regularly cited as one of the most significant challenges faced by organisations operating in Asia-Pacific. So what can businesses do to meet that challenge both now and in the coming years?

With the region currently accounting for over half of the world’s total graduate population, according to the latest research from WCN/Universum, employers have come to the conclusion that a significant part of the solution may be found in hiring, developing and retaining the very best members of this key demographic.

However engaging and capturing this audience brings its own set of challenges and opportunities.

A white paper - The Key Battleground in the Global “War of Talent” by Alexander Mann Solutions recently produced to explore hiring and developing emerging talent in Asia-Pacific, and in this article you’ll find some of the insights we obtained from talking to top employers and students in the region.

Asia-Pacific is a graduate-focused market

Despite interest on the part of international recruiters in alternative models such as apprenticeships or apprenticeship degrees, the emerging talent landscape in Asia-Pacific remains dominated by graduates, and our research suggests that this is unlikely to change, at least for the foreseeable future. Experiments with alternative approaches such as the apprentice scheme created by the Private Wealth Management Association (PWMA) in Hong Kong and a similar programme in Singapore have been limited to specific sectors and locations and there seems little appetite to develop them on a broader basis.

The importance of “belonging”

Most organisations employing significant numbers of graduates are dedicated to making them feel part of a group or cohort rather than viewing themselves as an individual, stand-alone hire. In some cases this means integration into a global graduate programme, but wherever that is the case there is an emphasis on making the employee feel that they are not in any way “side-lined”, but that Asia-Pacific is an important and exciting place to work.

The key role of internships

Internships are a key pipeline into full-time graduate programmes in Asia-Pacific, although some talent specialists are still engaged in educating line managers so that they are a vital source of future talent and not just a “spare pair of hands”. When the system works well it creates the opportunity of a “working interview”, to the benefit of both individual and employer. The key to success in the longer term, as cited time and again by our interviewees, is to start engaging with talent as early as possible and this can be done very effectively through early identification of talent and internship programmes.

The human touch

Although a number of organisations have moved almost all of their emerging talent engagement and recruitment processes online, most of those operating in Asia-Pacific still favour a “blended” approach, combining the virtual with the physical. Employers will consequently need to ensure that members of this group are not only “hand-held” throughout the hiring process, but closely monitored and engaged with at all points of their entry programmes, perhaps via a dedicated programme manager, because failure to do so can result in painful levels of attrition.

Asia-Pacific is not one market, but many

Although almost all international recruiters feel the need to align their messaging and approaches to their global or regional employer brands, there is a strong feeling that the individual requirements of the myriad of cultures that make up the Asia-Pacific region need to be respected and addressed. We therefore saw a genuine willingness to tailor EVP and processes to meet local needs.

Know your audience

There seems to be a general consensus that the emerging talent generation is in part motivated by issues such as work-life balance, CSR and the development of a “personal brand”. However,  it is also agreed that this can be taken too far in an organisation’s messaging and that future talent is also still focused on tangible rewards, individual recognition and clear opportunities to advance their careers as quickly as possible.

The Future

Talent acquisition and retention is set to remain high on the list of corporate priorities in Asia-Pacific in coming years and the challenges generated by the region’s diversity and complexity are likely to increase rather than diminish.

However, the good news for talent specialists is that, at least short-term, competitive advantage in the “war for talent” can often be gained by addressing the “basics” rather than embarking on radically different engagement and recruitment strategies.

And, although the use of AI and machine learning is, with a few exceptions, at relatively early stages in Asia-Pacific, its employment is bound to come before long, following the lead of the US and Europe. And, in a significant measure, this is likely to be driven by a need to manage what looks like an explosion in the graduate population in the region.

To download The Key Battleground in the Global "War of Talent": Hiring and Developing Emerging Talent in Asia-Pacific by Alexander Mann Solutions, click here.

 

Amie Wiseman

ASIA-PACIFIC Head of Emerging Talent, Alexander Mann Solutions

Tag: Talent Acquisition Succession Planning nurturing talent Talent Engagement