To mark International Women's Day, Michael Page analyzed the evolution of women's recruitment for management positions. The analysis shows a positive growth of 8% between 2010 and 2015.
In 2010, the percentage of women recruited by Michael Page for management positions was only 24%, compared to 76% for men. In 2015, the number of women recruited for management positions through the recruitment company increased considerably, currently standing at 32%. Consequently, in 2015, the percentage of women recruited represented about one-third of all hires for management positions.
According to Sílvia Nunes, Senior Executive Manager at Michael Page, " the age of women recruited through Michael Page for management positions in 2015 was around 40 years old, a very similar average to that observed among the percentage of men recruited for these positions during the same period ."
From the wealth of essential characteristics and skills to the profiles of management positions, female professionals stand out for various reasons, with significant relevance to good business performance. “ The professionals recruited for management positions generally present very organized profiles, with a high capacity for multitasking, but also a high level of strategic thinking, as well as high levels of efficiency in the ratio of working hours to productivity. Another important characteristic is the ability to approach the most sensitive issues with a well-balanced ratio of reason to emotion ,” says Sílvia Nunes. “ On the less positive side of the analysis carried out during the recruitment processes is the role attributed to women in the family – a role that in many cases is still not equally shared, and continues to contribute as a challenge to hiring. Especially in the case of women with children, these professionals face increased difficulties in reconciling their personal and professional lives, particularly in coordinating business trips ,” concludes Sílvia Nunes.
In 2015, the main management positions that recruited female professionals were Human Resources Management, representing 34% of hires; Administrative and Financial Management and Purchasing Management, both with 25%; and Operations Management and Medical Management, both with 8%. The profiles were mostly recruited for the Services and Healthcare sectors, representing 50% of recruitment processes. The second sector to recruit female professionals was Retail, representing 18%. With a smaller contribution, the FMCG, Construction, Legal, and Industrial sectors followed, each representing 8%.
The areas varied considerably when comparing recruitment processes between 2010 and 2015. At the beginning of the analyzed period, the areas that recruited women for management positions were Sales & Marketing, with 36%, Finance, with 32%, Human Resources, with 16%, Engineering, with 8%, and Information Technology, with 4%.
