Hays Office Support - April 2007

Private Sector

Hotspots

• Experienced administrators across the board - this remains a hotspot due to natural career progression as experienced administrators are promoted internally.
• Executive assistants/personal assistants - high level EA's/PA's can choose from several opportunities and demand higher salaries. In particular, executive assistants with FMCG and manufacturing experience are in high demand. These roles are often not created by company growth but natural movement within the organisation.
• The entry-level market has exploded - employers are recruiting employees with experience in order to advance their career and retain their skills, which leaves the entry-level role to be filled.
• Legal secretaries - remains an ongoing shortage area, both for temporary and permanent candidates.
• Corporate receptionists - the average tenure of a receptionist remains one year as candidates continue to seek career advancement opportunities outside the reception function. In addition, employers are actively progressing the career of their receptionist in order to retain the candidate's knowledge rather than lose the candidate to a role elsewhere. This augments vacancies as receptionists are promoted internally.
• Document controllers - a major hotspot in the construction and property industry.
• Part-time receptionists and general administrators - increased demand is evident for candidates who can commit long-term to a part-time job-share role.

The coming quarter

The job market over the coming quarter will be much more active and the turn around time of placements should increase as employers speed up their recruitment process to ensure they do not miss out on their ideal candidate.

Temporary recruitment will be very active as we approach year-end.

Senior recruitment

Executive assistant and office manager vacancy activity continues to increase, particularly in the resources sector, which is heating requirements. Salaries and hourly rates have increased over the last three months and we expect this to continue for the next three to six months as demand at the executive level remains.

In the public sector, Government policy/procurement/project skills continue to be in demand from the APS 6 and above.

Salaries

Salary increases have been evident over the past few quarters and for the most part are now expected to stabilise, with the exception of experienced executive assistants and personal assistants. Particular hotspots are also expected to be the areas of salary pressure, with candidates often raising their minimum salary expectation given the demand for their skills.

Temporary and contract candidates certainly have the upper hand in the current market, with rates increasing and candidate expectations high.

Employers are also turning to benefits, KPI-driven financial targets and non-financial elements of a salary package in order to increase their overall offer to a candidate. Flexible hours and staff incentives are particularly popular options at present.

Candidate trends

There has been a large increase in the number of customer service candidates registering and a decrease in quality available executive assistants and entry-level candidates, impacting the way companies advertise their vacancies to attract passive job seekers. While the market remains flooded with candidates, quality remains an issue.

There are also fewer high calibre candidates with personal assistant experience between the $50,000 to $55,000 plus superannuation salary range. Candidate levels for receptionists with previous experience continue to dwindle, as does the level of those happy to perform process driven roles.

Many experienced candidates are looking for roles closer to home, while entry-level candidates are more prepared to travel. For example, within Western Sydney, the most popular areas requested by experienced candidates are Norwest and the Hills district, which decreases the level of experienced candidates prepared to travel to areas such as Smithfield and Wetherill Park.

Temporary candidates in particular are seeking work/life balance; they seek work closer to home, the opportunity to finish earlier or to work for an employer with flexible working hours.

Candidates have become more informed about the recruitment process, including typical salaries. They realise their potential, have grown in confidence and are more demanding in their expectations. They have also been getting multiple offers, which ultimately allows them to achieve these expectations.

Other trends

In light of the skills shortage, some employers have started to merge two or more job responsibilities into the one role, yet the supply of candidates with this unique blend of skills and experience is limited. For example, a role requiring a candidate who has experience as a receptionist, invoicing clerk and IT helpdesk assistant, or a receptionist with accounts payable and logistics clerk experience.