Training practices of multinational companies in Asia

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore a range of training practices adopted by multinational companies (MNCs) operating in Asia. We examine the amount of training expenditure spent and training programs offered by MNCs and how these training practices were perceived by Asian employees. The report of training concerns by MNCs is also the theme of this paper. Design/methodology/approach – We use data collected from a multinational survey of 529 MNCs operating in six Asian countries (namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan) and examine the average training ($) spent for each category of employees per annum and a number of in-house as well as external training programs offered to different category of employees. We then ask respondents to list training concerns and how that affect their firm performance.Findings –It appears that MNCs spent substantial amount of dollars on training. However training tends to be received by managerial and professional staff and more likely to be offered externally, which seem not effectively addressing the needs of managerial and professional staff. The overall quality and relevance of training is the main concern. Practical implications – The results provide MNCs, especially those headquartered in Europe with insights into designing and offering more relevant and quality training programs to their employees in local subsidiaries in Asia.