Although 70% of hiring managers say they have a diversity programme in place, nearly two-thirds (63%) of female workers think that management is not taking steps to nurture a diverse workforce.

This is according to a survey of 1,000 hiring and line managers and female jobseekers undertaken by Hays Japan.

In fact, 65% of the respondents said that their management does not understand or are unsure whether their management understands diversity.

Japan-based Hays operations director for Asia, Christine Wright, says: “The results of our survey clearly show the disjoint between what support employers think they need to offer female employees, and what those employees actually want.

“Nevertheless, Hays’ recent placements in Japan display both a social shift towards growing acceptance of mid-career job change in Japan, and a trend to more fully incorporate women in the workforce.”