10 Forecasts For Employment And Skills Markets In 2010

10 Forecasts for the Employment and Skills Markets for 2010

Matthew Tukaki, CEO of Drake Australia, today predicted that employers will need to change gear in their employment and people strategies if they are not to lose ground against competitors in 2010.

"2009 has been a year of belt tightening for most employers, with widespread cost cutting, reduced working hours, redundancies, recruitment freezes, training budget reductions, and the like", said Matthew Tukaki. "While many employers have come through the worst of the GFC in better shape then expected, there could be a time bomb waiting to go off if employers do not urgently address critical people management issues in their workforces."

"While most employees understood that their employers faced difficult choices in 2009 with sales volumes and prices falling steeply, this has not stopped rapid decline in employee engagement and pent up risk of high staff turnover", he said.

Drake has recently conducted a survey of employers to identify the most important people management strategies employers expect to use as they gear up for stronger growth in 2010.

Based on this survey, Drake has released 10 forecasts for the employment and skills markets in 2010.

1. Skills shortages will become increasingly apparent in critical roles and industries

2. Staff turnover will become a significant cost for employers that do not put in place strategies to increase employee engagement

3. Leadership development will be the number one people management priority for employers

4. Many employers will move to increase their temporary workforce as a risk management measure to mitigate further economic volatility

5. Employers will increase the priority given to measures to increase employee retention in critil roles

6. Training budgets will increase, but employers will be more strategic about how they spe their training dollars

7. Wage movements will be moderate, although larger increases will occur for some crital roles where skills shortages are re-emerging

8. The new industrial relations system will have relatively little impact on most employs

9. Increasing numbers of employers will be seeking to attract or retain mature aged employees because of skills shortages and the lucrative ageing baby boomer marks

10. More employers will be introducing new green job roles and seeking new skills as they seek to reduce the environmental impact

Drake will release the full results from its survey, and its research report, "Gearing for Growth", later in January 2010.

Media enquiries:

Drake International
Matthew Tukaki
CEO Drake Australia
Tel 02.9273.0500
Mb : 0409.707.572
[email protected]


SOURCE: Drake International