Australian Job Market
According to a recent report published by News.com.au, the Australian job market, albeit relatively secure for the time being, does have its sore spots. There are numerous types of employment, which, due to the altering economic landscape and shifts caused by the global recession, globalization and the spread of outsourcing and offshoring, are simply not safe anymore. Read on to learn what those unsafe job sectors are, to figure out what recruiters are looking for, in these trying times and to find out about possible strategies employed by companies which are recruiting on a tight budget.
- Travel. Travel has come to be regarded as a luxury, during a time when the economy seems to be on a perpetual downward trend. People continue to travel, as indicated by figures recently posted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics: arrivals to Australia increased by 1.2% on the year, for the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2012. However, travel from Australia is not on an upward slope and an increasing number of tourists are choosing online booking services, in the search for better deals, instead of going to travel agencies. As such, travel agents might soon need to start looking for new jobs.
- Retail. The retail sector is also under significant threat, in the face of increased online shopping activities, as reported by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. In 2008-2009, the proportion of Australians who had made at least one online purchase leveled up by 3%, from 61% the previous year, to up to almost two thirds (64%) of the population. Offline retail isn’t likely to disappear completely anytime soon, yet experts predict that several sectors of the industry will slowly migrate online, such as beauty products, fashion, electronics, etc..
- Automotive. With the car manufacturing industry, potential job cuts are caused by increased international competition and the globalized marketplace, which has encouraged many to purchase non-locally produced cars. At the same time, local companies are increasingly looking into outsourcing the production of various parts.
- Accounting & IT. Accountants and IT engineers are no longer being recruited on the home front, experts say. According to Greg Pankhurst of Balance Recruitment, companies understandably prefer to outsource such services to less developed countries, since the average yearly salary of a medium level Indian computer program is $6,000, as opposed to the $75,000 expected by an Australian in the same position.
Cost Cutting
Meanwhile, companies keep looking for ways to cut costs and increase their efficiency. As we learned off of Regus.com.au, firms now have the option to set up a virtual office through the purchase of a service pack, which provides professional mail forwarding and call-answering services, among others. The staff that they are still recruiting for in-house operations has got to be tough and able to handle stress on the job, now more than ever, says the AAP. At the same time, recruitment seems to have hit a relative slump over the precedent quarter, as only 29.6% of companies are looking to hire during this year’s third quarter. Some 32.2% of firms had expressed similar intentions during the second quarter, which ended in June.
Suggested moves include hiring an older candidate, with fewer job-switching prospects, and making part-time positions available, for a lower salary. Migrant workers are also an option, especially if they’ve just arrived to Australia and need to find a job fast, in order to avoid expulsion. Try looking outside your specific business sector, cross-train your new employees in the skills that are absolutely mandatory for the job and, most importantly, try to reduce the interviewing process to a bare minimum, to save your time and efforts.
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