Health and beauty retailer A.S. Watson Group has confirmed a significant expansion that promises to create at least 200,000 jobs across the Asian region. The announcement follows this month’s celebration of International Youth Day.
A.S. Watson aims to provide opportunities, skills, and experiences to equip them for the fast-changing business landscape and kickstart their careers in retail.
This was amid reports from the World Economic Forum that the Covid-19 pandemic has severely affected labor markets worldwide, and it has been especially challenging for young people.
Globally, youth unemployment was already an issue before the pandemic, with 15 to 24-year-olds three times more likely to be without work than those over 25 years old, and Covid-19 has worsened that situation.
To help address this global challenge, A.S. Watson Group plans to offer 200,000 job opportunities worldwide for young people, enabling them to gain valuable experience to develop their careers in the retail sector.
The jobs will span different areas of our business, including working in stores, head office, and distribution. The roles are multidisciplinary, from a customer service specialist to marketing, digital development, e-Commerce, analytics, finance, and sustainability, to name a few.
“We all have a responsibility to nurture the next generation. What young people need is more companies opening doors to them and offering them a platform to prove their abilities. A.S. Watson is proud to provide more and better opportunities so that young people see hope in their future amid uncertainties in the world economy. The pandemic has made it difficult for young people to start their careers with limited exposure to the workplace. Through these jobs, we are not just empowering them to be more confident and competent but also strengthening our business by listening to the voice of the next generation,” said Parkson Tseung, Group People Director (Asia) of A.S. Watson Group.
Getting Fit for the Future
The transformation of retailing at A.S. Watson sets the new standard for O+O (Offline plus Online) integrated retail platform, and the range of job nature and opportunities has widely expanded.
Getting a start on the career ladder can be difficult for young people, however, who lack work experience and often the specific skills that these roles require.
For her part, Joanne Mackie, Group People Director (Europe) of A.S. Watson Group, adds, “Young people are an essential source of talents and creativity; by developing their skills, we can make our business stronger and fitter for the future. We are not only offering job opportunities but also training and coaching to give young people the skills they need to work in the new world of O+O retail.
Mackie added the company plans to provide five million training hours for youth in our global workforce to embrace the future. “We look forward to 200,000 talented young people joining us between now and 2030 to help fuel the sustainable growth engine for A.S. Watson,” he said.
A.S. Watson has invested in many people development programs combining on-the-job learning with further education.
In Asia, the A.S. Watson Retail Academy was the first local retail academy in Hong Kong in 2018. A.S. Watson was also the first local company to offer a Professional Diploma in Retail Management, a Qualifications Framework (QF) level 5 program, equivalent to a bachelor’s degree on the job. So far, more than 4,400 people have graduated from all levels of QF programs.
In the Philippines, Watsons will partner with schools to provide internships for pharmacy students to help them comply with the practicum requirements for graduation. They will be provided with valuable on-the-job experience in pharmacy retail management.