The Star, 22 August 2008

By IZATUN SHARI

KUALA LUMPUR: Women should be allowed to work flexible hours because it will encourage more women to join the workforce while helping them to balance work and family.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said a review of the Employment Act 1955 was timely and necessary to allow the “flexi-hour” approach.

“I support the principle to help us increase the participation of women in the workforce because it is relatively low now at 46% compared to more than 70% in the developed nations,” he told reporters after launching the Women’s Summit 2008 at Sime Darby Convention Centre here yesterday.

Najib was responding to a proposal by Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen to review the Act, which did not address flexible working hours or teleworking. The matter would be raised with the Human Resources Ministry before it was brought to the cabinet, he said.

Making a difference: Najib looking on as Ng gives Association of Women with Disabilities president Bathmavathi Krishnan a helping hand at the summit yesterday

Dr Ng said under the mid-term review of the Ninth Malaysia Plan, the Government had set a target of 50% of female labour force participation rate by 2010.  She said last year, there were only 3.8 million women working as compared to 6.8 million men in the labour force.

She also called on Najib to look into increasing women’s representation in the board of directors in government-linked companies (GLCs) to achieve the target of at least 30% women in decision-making levels. Last year, women made up just 14%.

Themed “Teaming Up to Make a Difference”, at least 1,000 professional women and men participated in this year’s women’s summit, which is held in conjunction with National Women’s Day on Monday.