17.1 per cent of Australian employers are planning to boost their permanent staff numbers between April and June this year, a slight drop from Q1 and a boost from the 11.2 per cent registered a year ago.
The latest Hudson Report: Employment Trends released for Q2 2015 revealed the jobs market will continue its positive outlook, despite a fall in sentiment in some areas.
Victoria saw the most employers register a positive outlook, with 21.9 per cent planning to increase their headcount in Q2. This marks a rise of 2.2 pp from Q1 and 12.2 pp higher than the same period in 2014.
“Confidence is clearly retuning to the Victorian market, likely aided by the settling of the state government and its clear policy setting and delivery mode,” Hudson Australia Executive General Manager Dean Davidson said in a press release.
“While we’re yet to see this confidence translate into real jobs activity, we are cautiously optimistic that the outlook has improved.”
NSW also saw a strong result, with 19.7 per cent of employers intending to increase staff in Q2. This was attributed to a rise in property and construction sectors and ongoing change and transformation projects in both financial services and legal.
The lowest level of hiring intentions was found in South Australia, with only 10.3 per cent of employers registering a positive outlook. Queensland did not fare much better, coming close behind with 12.2 of employers looking to hire in Q2.
Mr Davidson said economic conditions “remain challenging” due to a rise in the official unemployment rate, pushing labour market’s state of transition.
“Various locations across Australia are still managing slowdowns in sectors such as mining and resources, and manufacturing,” Mr Davidson said.
“This reflects what we now know as the ‘new normal’ and part of the ongoing transition in Australia’s labour markets, with growth shifting away from mining to professional services, ICT, finance and legal across all states. This is obviously more challenging for some locations than others.”
It looks to be a good time for those looking to get a job in the legal sector, with 30.9 per cent of employers looking to up their headcount in Q2. Sales, marketing and communications are also ripe for jobseekers, with a 26.6 per cent of employers looking to increase permanent headcount.
Mr Davidson said, despite the economy, the future looks good.
“Regardless of the economic situation, organisations need to continue their transformation in order to be able to compete in the future. Many have already invested significant resources into these projects and aren’t in a position to halt this investment, and as such, we expect demand for specialised skillsets and roles that support future growth will continue to rise.”
