Recruitment Outlook 2010
James Nicholson
Managing Director, Robert Walters Australia
25 January 2010
2009 was a difficult year for nearly every employment market globally. Relative to others, it is
well publicised that Australia fared comparatively well. However, the pain was still felt very
widely in the broad economy and in labour markets in particular. All firms, large and small,
reverted to cost cutting to some degree and the spill over into labour markets was sharply felt.
Both temporary and permanent labour markets were heavily affected; wages were at best
frozen and often, either directly or indirectly via reduced hours, reversed. Hiring in the first half
of 2009 was marginal and restricted to key replacements. Queensland and Western Australia
were slower going into the downturn than other states however with some major well
publicised resource projects, indicators suggest demand for quality people is already
returning in these locations.
The impact since late 2008 of ‘marginal’ hiring, large scale redundancies and the natural
stalling of new projects is leading to pent up demand returning in most sectors and across all
locations. This should lead to rapid demand in temporary and contract work as client business
volumes begin to return to previous levels. Employment levels are still remarkably high and
consequently even with the mild recovery predicted for the early part of 2010, organisations
will have to be resourceful in selling and marketing themselves to attract top tier candidates.
Likewise, smart organisations will need to quickly address gaps caused by vastly reduced
graduate intakes over the past 18 months – not doing so has a significant ricochet effect
longer term.
In summary, we anticipate markets in 2010 will continue to improve and demand will return
gradually. Organisations need to be alert to the fact that relatively full employment levels
locally mean the market is not awash with quality people available at lower cost – it is simply
not the case – and those smarter organisations will take a proactive approach to retaining and
adding new resources.
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ENDS -
For further information or to arrange an interview contact:
Frances Denny, Marketing Manager
0282893114
Frances.Denny@robertwalters.com.au
About Robert Walters
Robert Walters is a leading global recruitment consultancy, specialising in placing high calibre
professionals into permanent and contract positions at all management levels. Established in
1985, Robert Walters has built a global presence with 38 offices spanning five continents and
employs over 1300 staff worldwide.
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