The survey is part of the Kelly Global Workforce Index (KGWI). It pulls together responses from nearly 170,000 employees worldwide including more than 3500 in New Zealand.
According to the Kelly research, at 55 percent, women make up higher proportion of the workforce in New Zealand than the global average (47 percent) and that of the Asia Pacific (APAC) region (36 percent).
The New Zealand workforce is also older, with mean age of 35.2 among the survey respondents, compared to 31.9 throughout the Asia Pacific. NZ has significantly higher participation of employees from the Baby Boomer generation – 22 percent, compared to just seven percent in the Asia Pacific region.
Kelly MD Debbie Grenfell says, “As New Zealand becomes more closely aligned to markets in the Asia Pacific, and more opportunities arise from the rapid growing economies in the region, how New Zealand’s workforce is positioned will become increasingly important.”
The survey also shows that, although there is broader representation of ages in the New Zealand workforce, fewer local workers are fully employed. Just 40 percent of the survey respondents said they were in fulltime employment, whereas internationally, 54 percent of workers are fully employed and 76 percent in the Asia Pacific region.
According to the survey, 25 percent of New Zealanders worked less than 30 hours per week. Around the world, 14 percent of workers are employed less than 30 hours and just none percent in the Asia Pacific work fewer than 30 hours.
New Zealanders also have lower level of tertiary education, with 32 percent holding bachelor degree, compared to 39 percent globally and 53 percent in the Asia Pacific.
Just seven percent of Kiwis surveyed hold and masters degree or doctorate, 20 percent internationally and 22 percent in the Asia Pacific region.
