Employer Hiring Confidence Remains Steady

Employer Hiring Confidence Remains Steady

Consistent hiring sentiment paints a picture of employment stability

New Zealand – 23 June 2015 – Net hiring sentiment dipped four percentage points (pp) to 26.2% in June as the latest Hudson Report: Employment Trends released today[1], reveals an increasingly stable hiring outlook.

The result follows four consecutive quarters of employment growth and a six year high in March.

“Overall, Hudson’s latest figures paint a picture of consistent employment stability,” said Roman Rogers, Executive General Manager, Hudson New Zealand.

“While net sentiment has reduced, nearly two-thirds (62.9%) of employers intend to keep headcount steady this quarter and confidence levels across a range of indicators remain largely balanced. Employers are not shedding talent, but holding on to it and this tells us they’ve been successful in attracting talent during the past six months and are now executing on strategy in order to meet productivity goals and targets.”

Additionally, the number of employers looking to maintain contractor headcount is at its highest level in five years, with overall net contractor hiring sentiment at 12.3%, representing the general health of the hiring landscape.

“Traditionally, the first thing we see when employers are taking cost cutting measures is that contractors are stripped out, leaving very lean teams. What we’re seeing now are employers feeling very comfortable about their contractor and permanent headcount, highlighting overall hiring confidence.”

Hiring intentions by region

Net hiring sentiment in the South Island remains the strongest nationally, with a net 35.2% of employers intending to increase headcount, down 5.1pp compared to the previous quarter.

“Hiring expectations in the South Island remain high as the Canterbury re-build continues and this quarter’s drop in sentiment is a natural correction as various building and construction projects change shape organically. Roles in demand include quantity surveyors, design roles, foremen and site managers to oversee the delivery of construction and civil projects.”

Employer sentiment in Upper North Island dipped 5.9pp to 23.1% of employers intending to increase head count, after six quarters of incremental growth.

“Auckland continues to absorb the bulk of New Zealand’s high net migration levels, a trend that is likely to continue for some time. As a result, the job market is tightening and again we’re seeing employers holding headcount steady. Investment in Auckland’s roading and infrastructure networks continue to drive employment growth in this region,” said Rogers.

Largely flat, hiring sentiment in Lower North Island is affected by the public sector end of financial year, down 0.8pp to 22%. ICT transformation remains a focus for Government in the year ahead and roles in demand are those specifically linked to change management planning and implementation.

Permanent & contracting hiring intentions by profession

Nationwide, Technical & Engineering is the profession with the strongest permanent positive hiring sentiment (37.5%), followed by Human Resources (33.6%), Financial Services (27.9%), Information, Communication & Technology (25.3%), Office Support (18.2%), andAccounting & Finance (9.4%).

HR business partner roles are in high demand as they require a combination of skills including a depth of general HR knowledge along with strong stakeholder engagement expertise.

“We’re increasingly seeing the importance of well-developed in-house HR capability recognised by organisations as they look to invest in supporting their managers and staff, with greater staff retention in mind,” said Rogers.

Sentiment in Information, Communication & Technology has dropped across both permanent, down 10.4pp, and contract hires, down 3.3pp, with net 16.7% hiring managers intending to increase contract headcount.

“Government utilisation of technology vendors is significant, with many leading international vendors partnering with smaller local third party technology companies to deliver specialised services. This continues to buoy consulting and technology companies to hire permanent and contracting staff as needed, allowing the public sector to maintain FTE headcount levels through normal turnover without major growth,” Rogers said.

ENDS

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