While overall hiring intentions across the board have dropped during the last quarter, there is cause for optimism in the IT, professional and financial services sectors, as employer optimism remains buoyant.
The Q3 2015 Hudson Report: Employment Trends, which surveyed more than 3500 employers nationally, found that this quarter net hiring intentions fell by 2 per cent to 15.1 per cent. This fall was driven by weakness in the resources and mining sector, which dropped 9.4 per cent to -20.5 per cent.
However net hiring intentions have climbed in professional services to 32.6 per cent, and to 28.5 per cent in IT, while financial services is also up to 19.9 per cent.
While all states are reporting positive hiring intentions for the new financial year, Queensland (19.5 per cent, up 7.3 per cent) and New South Wales (18.3 per cent) are particularly strong.
“New South Wales’ job market is benefitting from strength in the professional services sector. Permanent recruitment is strong right across professional services and improving within financial institutions. The technology sector is also very buoyant, with employer demand for ICT skills remaining strong,” said Dean Davidson, executive general manager, Hudson Australia.
According to Hudson, employers are focused on developing roles that will support future business growth.
“The ongoing transition in our labour markets is intensifying and organisations are evolving and recalibrating in order to remain competitive. Part of this transition includes investing in new skillsets, to ensure businesses are equipped for future growth. Smart employers should be investing in opportunities for key employees to develop a broad range of skills,” Davidson said.
The Hudson Report also found that the rebound in the contractor market which began late last year will continue into the next quarter, with 11.7 per cent of employers looking to hire contractors in Q3. According to Hudson, this is a result of both supply and demand factors.
“On one hand, many organisations are undergoing restructures and transformations, so they need specific skills for project-based work. On the other hand, highly-skilled workers are aware that they are in demand and are looking for challenging roles that also provide flexibility. This is contributing to a healthy market for contractors, while permanent hiring is also robust.”
