(Yicai Global) Dec. 16 -- Johnson & Johnson, one of the first multinational healthcare companies to enter China, has continued to attract talent in the country this year, especially from among millennials and generation Z, after launching its employer brand last November.

Johnson & Johnson China had 50 percent more candidates apply for jobs and a 20 percent increase in internal promotions and transfers compared with last year, according to Alex Kopitsas, its head of human resources.

Highlighting the Shanghai-based company’s efforts to attract and retain top talent, its employer brand is built on three pillars: talent, innovation and impact (giving back to the community).

J&J China seeks to recruit people who share the same purpose as it -- a “passion for healthcare, saving people’s lives, making people’s lives better,” Kopitsas said in a recent interview with Yicai Global. Prospective employees should also be innovators and risk-takers with a start-up mentality who want to “make an impact and make the world a better place.” 

“We are looking for people who want to join Johnson & Johnson because of their passion for healthcare, and when they come in they have the opportunity to work in one the most comprehensive healthcare companies in the world,” he said.

J&J’s Chinese unit is both a growth and innovation engine for its US-based parent company, and that is why J&J keeps investing more in China in terms of resources and talent, according to Kopitsas.

Young Headcount

More than 80 percent of J&J China's employees are millennials and generation Z, said Kopitsas, so the firm’s talent strategy is very much tailored toward addressing their needs.

Compared with other healthcare firms and Chinese competitors, J&J gives staff the opportunity to rotate between different sectors, different functions, to build their careers and maximize their potential, said Kopitsas.

The company’s Expand program gives 14 staff members an opportunity across its sectors -- medical devices, pharmaceuticals and consumer health -- to work on short-term assignments with innovative companies in JLABS@Shanghai, the firm’s global innovation incubator, enabling and empowering innovators across a broad healthcare spectrum.

J&J China has also introduced a program for young talent and millennials to have the opportunity to bring a topic to the attention of the company’s president, said Kopitsas, adding that this program helps to drive bottom-up change.

In addition to that, the company offers a range of training covering skills, well-being and other areas. As a result, 97 percent of employees who took part in the firm’s annual engagement survey gave a score of ‘excellent’ for support from managers, as well as for compensation and benefits and training and development. That is a good indication of how J&J takes care of its employees, Kopitsas said.

Digitizing Amid Covid

”When Covid-19 happened, we had no playbook,” Kopitsas said. “What we had was Our Credo which guides us in our decision-making.” The values and principles spelled out in Johnson & Johnson’s credo guide the firm to take care of employees as well as doctors, nurses and patients.

To take care of employees and screen candidates, J&J China has been accelerating its digitization. The company launched a digital way of making sure it can track the health and well-being of employees. Its staff in China have been kept informed and engaged using digital means that span daily health tracking, online courses, skills development, a back-to-work guide, and even employee’s own stories.

J&J has also been exploring digital tools to acquire and develop talent. The company has embraced a technology called Textio, which “takes out the bias,” said Kopitsas. “To make sure that all candidates have equal opportunities when applying for jobs, whether it is a job in supply chain, in R&D or in e-commerce.”

Textio is an augmented writing platform for job postings, which uses an artificial intelligence engine to provide real-time guidance on how to efficiently attract diverse and qualified applicants.

J&J also has a partnership with LinkedIn that “gives us a channel to engage with local talents and share what we are doing in China,” said Kopitsas. “We can make sure that we learn about what these candidates want from the company, what can we offer them more, and how can we be differentiated.”

Kopitsas said the new technology significantly boosts the company's efficiency in recruitment. “We’ve got thousands of CVs, although we have a least 500 school candidates. The platform enables the candidate to make a video and talk about themselves. Then the recruiter can use the data to simplify the process.”

“We set up our operations in China 35 years ago with our pharmaceutical company Janssen,” which has now developed a coronavirus vaccine candidate, Kopitsas said.

“We intend to stay here for a long time and keep investing in China.”