Hays Contact Centres - January 2008

Hotspots

Australia's contact centres industry is full of life, with particular hotspots of demand existing as follows.

Firstly, strong forecasting and planning analysts are required as more companies focus on short and long term planning to ensure they meet customer demands. Retail candidates who are looking for a change of career and have strong customer service skills are also required, while experienced internal sales candidates are in demand and available candidates are usually employed quickly.

Technical specialists are another hotspot of demand, with organisations looking for candidates with industry knowledge.

Finally, telesales consultants are an ongoing requirement, and companies are now paying higher base salaries to attract strong sales candidates with an emphasis on career development.

The coming quarter

The first quarter of 2008 will be very busy for contact centre recruitment with the creation of new jobs, both temporary and permanent, driving overall vacancy activity.

Growth will come from the financial services sector, which will recruit staff over the quarter to train them and have them in place for the end of the financial year, and from Government Departments that are taking on new projects and thus require additional staff.

Executive recruitment

While high numbers of executive candidates are seeking their next challenge, the recruitment market at the executive level is slow due to the triangular nature and structure of contact centres.

Salaries

Salaries are increasing overall in large contact centres, which places pressure on the rest of the industry. Overall smaller centres need to respond to this pressure by ensuring their salaries remain competitive so they too can attract top candidates.

Candidate trends

A substantial number of candidates seek Government roles for the stability, rostered days off and competitive salaries provided. With candidates in demand and wanting better working conditions and higher salaries, they have the monopoly and are able to choose the role most attractive to them. As a result, employers need to focus on their candidate attraction and differentiating their offer - this does not have to be through salary alone, since some employers lack the budget to compete solely through the salaries they offer.