Hays Human Resources
JANUARY - MARCH 2012
Hotspots
Across New Zealand, demand will be greatest this quarter for Internal Recruiters for both general and specialist roles. In other areas of demand, the general increase in overall headcounts will lead to vacancy activity for generalist HR Advisors and HR Managers. Specialists in areas such as remuneration, learning & development and organisation development will also be in increasing demand this quarter.
Overcoming skills shortages
Overall the human resources market in New Zealand is not experiencing significant skills shortages with an abundance of available candidates moving regularly in the market. That said, both employers and candidates are still being selective in what they are looking for in a new employee or role.
Employers are being flexible on salaries to secure preferred talent while candidates who are looking for a new challenge are being more open to industry type and size of operation.
The coming quarter
As the market continues to pick up we will see more movement of candidates in search of new roles, higher salaries and new challenges after a stagnant two to three years. Employers will be forced to recruit as a result of this movement. As companies grow, new positions will be created and until such time as these are filled, there will be fixed term contracts available.
Employer trends
Some employers are becoming quite specific regarding their requirements, but we have noted more flexibility around salaries and benefits.
While in some cases there is a greater sense of urgency, the recruitment process can still be overly lengthy due to internal procedures and this can affect their ability to secure their preferred candidate.
Candidate trends
There is certainly an increase in the level of candidates looking for new roles, particularly in the permanent sector as candidates look for new opportunities after remaining in their current role during the downturn. Many public sector candidates are looking to get into commercial businesses where they can have more impact.
There has been strong interest from overseas candidates although many lack work permits or residency. Interest from employers in these candidates is low at this stage since there is a very healthy domestic candidate market with a great deal of overall momentum taking place.
