NEWS
Most Multinationals See Workforce Health As A Higher Priority in Next Few Years
Only 23% of Asia-Pacific multinationals currently have a global health strategy in place
1 August 2011

Kuala Lumpur | Faced with rising health care costs and a growing concern over the health of their employees, a vast majority of multinational organisations plan to place a higher priority on workforce health initiatives and the overall well-being of their workers over the next few years, according to a survey by Towers Watson released at the end of May 2011.

The survey found that three out of four companies said workforce health and promoting health and well-being will be more of a priority this year and next, while 87% said it will be a higher priority over the next two to four years. However, Asia-Pacific multinationals run the risk of falling behind: only 23% of multinationals headquartered in Asia-Pacific currently have a global health strategy, compared to 32% globally. Also, only 62% of Asia-Pacific respondents include wellness or health promotion programmes, such as preventative care, health screenings or education, as part of their global health strategy, compared with 75% globally.

Other findings from the Towers Watson survey include:

The Towers Watson Workforce Health Strategies: A Multinational Perspective survey was conducted in early 2011 and included responses from 149 multinational corporations representing a total workforce of 5.2 million people. The survey report is available at www.towerswatson.com/globalworkforcehealth.

Source : Towers Watson