Demographic preferences towards careers in shared service centers: A factor analysis

Abstract

Talent attraction and employee retention are some of the main challenges that currently affect the growth of the shared service industry worldwide. Due to the market dynamics and the structure of the labor force, shared service centers (SSCs) in the region compete to attract well-trained candidates with appropriate knowledge and skills. To assess gender preferences towards careers in the SSCs, the article collects 1283 responses using an online questionnaire from university students in the Czech Republic. Respondents vary by study year, gender, age, course of study, and work preferences. The article analyzes gender and age preferences towards careers in the shared services. The article further ascertains the main factors that influence career decisions using the same demographic features. Using the factor analysis technique, the article further analyzes the variables with strong inter-correlations to evaluate the formation of preferences in SSCs. The research results provide insights into the target age and gender of students with job aspirations in SSCs. The findings could help recruitment agencies renew and redirect their search for talents in SSCs. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.