More Australian businesses are planning to hire in the coming year, according to this quarter’s Hudson Report: Employment Trends.
Hiring intentions for the first quarter of 2015 has seen the largest increase in three years, with 18.7 per cent of Australian employers revealing they are looking to increase their headcount in the first three months of the coming year. This marks a rise of 5.6 percentage points (pp) on last quarter.
Dean Davidson, Executive General Manager, Hudson Australia, said employers are positive about hiring to boost company transformation.
“Despite lukewarm economic conditions and recently released weak GDP figures, Australian employers are optimistic about the year ahead,” Mr Davidson said.
“While the outlook is buoyant, the thirst for talent is centered on specific sectors and role families that support business transformation. These often newly created roles are critical to future success and profitability and as such may be less impacted by broader economic trends in the months ahead.”
Queensland and NSW were found to be leading the rise in hiring confidence, with 20.4 per cent and 19.4 per cent of employers respectably looking to increase headcount in the first quarter of 2015.
The rise in confidence in NSW is attributed largely to the financial services and legal sectors, which each saw a net 36.9 per cent of hiring managers looking to increase headcount.
“Financial services teams have recognised that the landscape has permanently changed and are driving significant transformation projects,” Mr Davidson said.
“Those professionals with exposure to agile environments are highly sought after as are compliance and risk professionals who can help organisations navigate the plethora of regulatory change on the horizon.”
Mr Davidson said the rise in hiring confidence comes down to businesses wanting employees that impact their bottom line.
“We are seeing less demand for reporting and transactional roles and a shift towards roles that underpin future growth opportunities. The business environment remains challenging for most sectors and so businesses are focused on creating positions – and seeking out employees – that are really going to add tangible value.”