Top 10 talent trends for 2013

Top 10 talent trends for 2013

Continuing areas of skills shortage, upward pressure on salaries and the need for more innovative workforce planning and talent management are all key trends that will influence the employment sector in 2013, according to recruiting experts Hays.

“While unemployment rose to more than 7 per cent in 2012 this did nothing to alleviate areas of skill shortage across sectors including construction, IT and health,” says Jason Walker, Managing Director of Hays in New Zealand. “This polarisation was also reflected in the Hays Global Skills Index which revealed of the 27 countries analysed, New Zealand had the greatest wage disparity between workers in highest demand and those in lowest demand.”

“However, going into 2013, hiring and business sentiment is more positive and we expect to work with employers to find innovative ways to ensure they get the right people to help them grow in the New Year,” says Jason.

According to Hays, the top 10 talent trends for 2013 are as follows:

1. Construction demand: The Christchurch rebuild and higher demand for residential construction in the upper North Island is creating plenty of opportunity for workers in this sector. Quantity Surveyors, Residential Project Managers, Senior Commercial Project Managers, Machine Operators and Project Managers with drainage experience are in most demand. The government created the Canterbury Skills and Employment Hub in late 2012 to enable international workers to apply for visas to work in New Zealand where there are no New Zealanders to take the available positions.

2. Skills shortages: In addition to construction, skill shortages continue across engineering, IT and the health sector. Also on the New Zealand Government’s list of skills in demand are education and training, hospitality, farming and transport.

3. Pressure on wages and salaries: The Hays Global Skills Index revealed that New Zealand has the highest wage disparity between those with skills in most demand and those in least demand. New Zealand scored 10 the highest possible result for wage pressures in high-skill industries.The nation also posted 1.3, the lowest-possible result on overall wage pressure, meaning that other wages are not rising. "Candidates in high demand are wanting to drive up their salaries when negotiating for a new role and we expect this to continue in 2013,” says Jason. However, he warned that candidates who nominate one salary before an offer and then increase their salary expectation after the offer risk overplaying their hand and losing the trust of the employer as well as the job.

4. Impact of New Zealand Dollar: The New Zealand Dollar hit a nine-month high on a trade-weighted basis in December 2012. Reserve Bank of New Zealand Governor, Graeme Wheeler, kept the benchmark interest rate unchanged at 2.5 per cent and warned inflation in the housing market could be an issue going into 2013. “The high dollar is having a negative impact on manufacturers and primary industries producers,” says Jason.

5. Hiring strategies: With skill shortages expected to continue in 2013, employers in New Zealand need to adopt a more flexible attitude to hiring new employees including taking a less rigid approach to hiring criteria. “Employers want the very best person for the job, but that might not necessarily mean finding someone who is a 100 per cent match to their wish list,” says Jason. “In some cases the best person could be someone that is a good cultural fit and who has most of what is needed, as well as a keen willingness to upskill to fill any gaps.”

6. Use of temporary staff: Hays has seen that New Zealand employers are increasingly using temporary workers, particularly in the construction industry and we expect this to continue in 2013. “We also found that employers are using temporary workers to bring in a particular expertise for special projects,” says Jason. “Organisations are using temporary workers in a variety of ways such as to provide relief to overworked staff; cover gaps until permanent hires can be found but also as part of longer term workforce planning.”

7. Talent management: The global economic downturn has created a dichotomy in many organisations – how do they cut costs while still addressing the skills shortage in different areas of the workforce?
According to the latest Hays Journal, out now, businesses need to recognise talent as an asset to be deployed within an organisation while HR needs to be more planned and strategic about how it goes about talent allocation. “HR professionals have had to become even more innovative and commercially driven, with a need to understand and address talent shortages in the new landscape in different ways,” says Jason. “This means discovering where untapped sources of talent lie and evolving creative ways of attracting and identifying new talent. Then, all of these assets must be developed and allocated effectively through a business, so that the talent balance sheet constantly improves. This shift is necessary to provide the talent needed to help organisations emerge from the tough economic times and rise to new challenges.”

8. Social media: A Nielson survey in December 2012 found New Zealanders are heavy social media users. The survey of 3,000 people found 96 per cent accessed social media sites via their computer, 27 per cent also via smartphone, and 7 per cent via tablets. However, Hays research shows about a third still don’t adapt their social media profiles and habits when job hunting even though employers could be checking them out as part of a candidate screening process. “We are seeing a growing number of savvy candidates, with 44 per cent telling us they change their privacy settings when job hunting and 25 per cent taking the time to untag themselves from photos and delete content unhelpful to their job hunt,” says Jason.

9. Demand for returning expats: Those returning to New Zealand bring new skill sets and experience with them that are highly attractive to employers here. “They are also considered more likely to stay because they have made a considered decision to move home and focus on building their career here,” says Jason.

10. Workforce diversity: A focus on workforce diversity will continue in 2013. Late in 2012, separate initiatives were created to promote ethnic and gender diversity. The Office of Ethnic Affairs and the New Zealand Institute of Management are working together to manage and promote ethnic diversity in the workplace. According to their statistics, one in four workers in New Zealand were born overseas. Meanwhile, government and private sector organisations launched a voluntary code of practice to ensure women comprise 25 per cent of the candidates put forward for board roles in New Zealand. Age diversity will also be part of the mix in 2013.

Hays, the world’s leading recruiting experts in qualified, professional and skilled people.

About Hays
Hays is the leading global specialist recruiting group. We are the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in Asia Pacific and the UK and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe and Latin America. We operate across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments.

Hays employs 7,800 staff operating from 245 offices in 33 countries across 20 specialisms. For the year ended 30 June 2012, Hays reported net fees of £734 million and operating profit (pre-exceptional items) of £128 million. Hays placed around 55,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 182,000 people into temporary assignments. 33% of Group net fees were generated in Asia Pacific.

Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, the UK and the USA.

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