By the beginning of 2018, the Law on Labour Inclusion was enacted in Chile. It demands companies or public organizations, with over 100 employees, to have at least 1% of people with disabilities hired. Given this context, organizations have needed to include global inclusion aspects, such as Female Diversity and Leadership.

The report Employers for Youth, developed by FirstJob and Adecco Group, surveyed the opinion of over 9,000 young professionals (aged 18 to 34 years old) from 60 different organizations on their companies’ management in terms of Inclusion and Diversity.   

“This is the fourth year we have developed the Employers for Youth survey in Chile, and we have noticed the need to evaluate the efforts that talent management areas do in terms of Inclusion, from the perspective of young professionals. Today, young people look for companies that take a stand regarding social needs and that can create an environment that generates an integration among different collaborators”, says Mario Mora, CEO & Founder of FirstJob.

An interesting fact is the gender perception regarding female leadership and gender quity. Around 73% of survey respondents believe that their company provides opportunities for women to take a leading role. However, there are differences, as only 62% of women agree with this fact, against 82% of men.

Something similar happens regarding promotion opportunities among men and women. Even though young professionals have a more critical perspective on this item, as only 41% believe that promotion opportunities are the same for both genders. In addition, only 33% of women state they have the same promotion opportunities than men, versus 49% of men.

In the dimension Diversity and Culture, Respect for Diversity was the aspect that received the highest score: 78% of young professionals feel that their company has created an environment of respect towards diversity in terms of nationality, sexual orientation, and gender identity, among others.

Emilio Maldonado, executive director of Iguales and coordinator of Pride Connection Chile —the first enterprises network that promotes sexual and gender diversity policies- highlighted the relevance of this result. He claimed that the shift in younger workers mentalities goes hand in hand with the advances that companies are making on an organizational level to create more inclusive spaces among their workers.

“We are not only witnessing how the Chilean labour market is promoting a renovation in the way it welcomes talent, but we also have new workers who demand this kind of spaces, which may become a x factor when applying for a vacancy in a company that has clear policies towards diversity and another that does not”, said Maldonado.

Finally, the survey reveals an issue of concern: companies are poorly prepared to welcome people with disabilities. Only 38% of young professionals consider that their company has the correct infrastructure to welcome people with disabilities.

The survey is developed every year in Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Peru and Mexico. Companies can participate for free, and their millennial workers are the ones who answer the survey.

Source: La Tercera