Malaysia's women may soon be able to put in flexible hours instead of the nine-to-five workday, local media reported on Friday.
Less rigid job arrangements would encourage more women into the workforce, thus boosting national productivity and economic growth, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said at the launch of the sixth Women's Summit organized by the Women, Family and Community Ministry here on Thursday.
"Flexi-hours is an approach that women want and we need to take into account their needs and aspirations. We want more women in the workforce," the New Straits Times quoted Najib as saying.
Najib said that he would support the call by Women, Family and Community Minister Ng Yen Yen at the summit that the Employment Act 1955 be reviewed to include flexible work hours for the female labor force.
A review of the act would be timely since the concept of the workplace now was different from what it was in 1955, he said.
"We should understand the needs of women. Women look for a balance of work and life, between being a worker and a mother and wife.
"We should allow women to work flexi-hours," he said.
The notion of the nine-to-five routine was an old one, Najib said, adding that the workplace should not only include the concept of flexi-hours but also "teleworking", where a person can work from home.
"In today's terms, it's not the number of hours that you spend in the workplace but how productive you are," he said.
It was not just about reviewing the Employment Act but also the innovation of new measures by employers to encourage women to work and stay on as workers.
Women should be allowed career breaks as well, where they could stop working for a period of time to focus on family issues, he said.
The few companies that have introduced the concept of flexi-time and career breaks are reporting improved productivity, greater job satisfaction and better retention rates, he said.
Bringing more women into the workplace was "not a choice but a necessity" for both economic development and global competition, Najib said.
Malaysia also has "a long way to go" since the female labor force participation rate was only 46 percent compared with developed countries where the figures were more than 70 percent, he said.
Najib lauded women as "very, very productive workers".
"Most women I have come across have not disappointed me. They are very diligent, hardworking and focused," he said.
Women were successful entrepreneurs, quoting statistics that 40to 45 percent out of 73 million active entrepreneurs across 34 nations were women and that 18 to 30 percent of self-employed workers in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand were women, Najib said.
"In Malaysia, some 60,000 women-owned businesses are registered each year according to the Companies Commission of Malaysia."
He also encouraged men to support gender equality in the workforce.
Women were generally not seeking to take control over men, he said, adding that "they are only seeking to take control over their own lives."
Source:Xinhua
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