India Inc to hire more working mothers in 2011

New Delhi: Aiming for a work culture that helps balance work and family responsibilities, 56 per cent of Indian companies plan to hire mothers on a part-time basis this year, said a survey.

This is higher than 36 per cent of global companies which intend to take in mothers in 2011, a study undertaken by workplace solutions provider Regus Plc said.

Indian firms' hiring intentions register far above global average, with 56 per cent of business leaders saying that they would recruit mothers into their workplaces on a part-time basis on account of accelerating economic growth and

brightening of employment prospects. This figure is down, however, on 64 per cent a year ago.

While, 43 per cent of Indian companies plan to add staff overall.

"Savvy businesses' are already using flexible work arrangement to integrate these valuable assets, providing a family friendly and at the same time more productive work environment simply by allowing employees to work alternative

hours or closer to home," Regus (India) Country-Head Madhusudan Thakur said.

Regus' multi-national global economic indicator survey, the Regus BusinessTracker, asked more than 10,000 respondents about their hiring intentions with regard to part-time, returning mothers in the year 2011.

Meanwhile, the report said there is still some concern that family commitments may hinder working mothers from giving their job full attention and commitment. In India, employers are concerned that working mothers may leave shortly after

training to have another child (55 per cent) or have out-dated skills (45 per cent).

The report further said that although attitudes towards working mothers have changed over the years.

On the positive side, a majority of businesses believe, companies that ignore part-time returning mothers are missing out on a significant and valuable part of the employment pool.

In addition, corporate houses regard working moms as offering skills that are difficult to find in the current market.

Besides, many employers believe that they value returning mothers because they offer experience and skills without demanding top salaries, the report revealed.

In India, the percentage of those who valued working mothers because of this was higher than the global average (64 per cent), perhaps indicating that there is still a lot of work to be done to reach salary equality between working

mothers and their colleagues.