Women in the workforce: The Economist crunches the numbers
To mark International Women’s Day on 8 March, The Economist has released its annual glass-ceiling index, its measure of the role and influence of women in the workforce.
The publisher looked at 10 indicators—from labour-force participation and salaries to paid parental leave and political representation—for 29 members of the rich-list OECD.
The Economist says since it started the index in 2013 “the pace of change has been glacial, but in most places, things are at least moving in the right direction”.
Iceland topped the list for the second year in a row with other Nordic countries scoring highly on all measures.
The Economist says the bottom also has “familiar feel”. Women in South Korea, Japan and Turkey still face the biggest workplace obstacles. Australia and Poland were the biggest climbers, both up five spots from last year.
The index found that in almost every country, women graduate from university in greater numbers than men. Yet they make up a lower share of the workforce.
This is most notable in Turkey, Greece and Italy, where less than two-thirds of adult women are employed.
In Sweden, America and Poland women hold more than 40% of high-level jobs. In Japan and South Korea, the proportion is a “disappointing” 15% and 16%, respectively, the Economist noted.
Further, studies have shown that more women in political leadership leads to a greater focus on women’s rights and family policies. In Iceland, Sweden, Norway and Finland—the top four countries on The Economist index—women hold at least 45% of parliamentary seats. In South Korea and Japan, on the other hand, their share is below 20%.
Source: economist.com
TravelAI to the rescue of Casai
TravelAI has completed its acquisition, branding, and launch of Casai.com, which targets luxury travellers interested in villas, short-term rentals, and holiday homes, primarily in the Mediterranean and Caribbean markets.
“It is a painful fact in the travel market that many businesses fail. The previous owners invested heavily in brand development yet were unable to achieve profitability before abandoning their efforts,” said Chris Jensen, COO of TravelAI.
The acquisition comes as part of TravelAI’s expansion into new travel niches using its ‘micro-segmentation’ strategy, which tailors messaging and options to each ‘segment’, much like physical-world travel and hotel brands which operate different properties for diverse consumer personas.
“Our philosophy is to operate at speed and scale, and we were able to launch this brand in days using AI technology and our multi-site content platform,” says John Lyotier, CEO of TravelAI.
TravelAI says its technology “rapidly identifies and iterates sites within profitable segments that are underserved in the market”.
“This acquisition showcases how our proprietary platform enables us to deploy and scale quickly while delivering high-intent, high-value travellers into the hands of our customers, who are largely online travel agents,” Jensen added.
“This brand will be profitable from day one due to our economies of scale, use of AI-supported technology, and ability to monetise traffic effectively.”
Leisure travellers are now leaning on Generative AI for inspiration, planning, and booking, with 44% of consumers trusting these tools throughout the process. TravelAI is using AI to provide personalised experiences based on different niches that satisfy consumers’ interests.
TravelAI has created over 350 consumer brands to address multiple parts of the traveller’s journey and uses AI to manage brand marketing, operations, finance and technology.
Hotelbeds builds Caribbean portfolio
Hotelbeds, part of HBX Group, has joined forces with Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts, expanding the Bahia Principe brand’s presence in the Caribbean and Spain.
Hotelbeds’ distribution reach extends to more than 170 markets, serving over 71,000 travel buyers.
Adding 24 Bahia Principe hotels in four countries (Mexico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, and Spain) to Hotelbeds’ preferred portfolio, travel agents will have access to a range of accommodation options, including beach getaways and all-inclusive resorts.
Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts is investing renovations of its properties, including the 30 million euro refurbishment of the Bahia Principe Luxury Esmeralda, set to open this month in the Dominican Republic.
Say hello to Jeeves the Snackbot
With the introduction of the JEEVES service robot, passengers at Munich Airport can shop at a self-driving robot.
Originally designed for use in the hotel and healthcare sector, a robot of this type is now being used for the first time in the world as a “snackbot” at an airport.
Snackbot “JEEVES” – the name is based on a loyal and competent servant from an English novel – offers a selection of chilled soft drinks and snacks that can be purchased via various cashless payment methods such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and all major credit cards.
The snackbot is 110cms tall and moves autonomous through the gate area on Levels 4 and 5 in Terminal 2 at Munich Airport. It stops when passengers come near it or step into its path. A large touchscreen is used to complete the purchase.
The robot developed by the Munich start-up “Robotise” is being tested for one year by Terminal 2 Gesellschaft, a Munich Airport and Lufthansa subsidiary.
Featured image credit: Munich Airport
