Hays Accountancy & Finance - July 2008

Public Sector

Hotspots

Management accountants, business analysts and financial accountants are in high demand at present while increased compliance means both internal and external auditors, analysts and project managers are required.

With Government Departments reassessing their budgets, there is an immediate need for candidates with public sector budgeting experience at an operational level.

At the support level, assistant accountants with their Australian Citizenship, payroll candidates with Chrispay, Micropay or ERP systems skills such as Sun or SAP and accounts payable officers with similar system experience are needed.

Meanwhile, contractors at the $60,000 - $90,000 level are required and with many seeking the stability of permanent roles the pool of available candidates continues to diminish.

Finally, skills in the Masterpiece SA Government software package are in demand due to shared services reform.

The coming quarter

Following the release of new financial year budgets, permanent recruitment activity has increased and, combined with the continuing use of temporary staff, the overall forecast for the coming quarter is a positive one, with local economic stimulation still coming from the resources sector.

Authorities and not-for-profit organisations in particular will be active. Meanwhile the temporary market will be very busy since many vacant permanent roles are being back-filled with temporary staff while shared services require temporary staff for transition arrangements.

The ability of the commercial sector to make recruitment decisions quickly creates challenges for the public sector, which regularly means that a private sector company with a faster recruitment process has secured a preferred candidate.

Executive recruitment

Strong executive candidates with demonstrated experience are in demand, and previous employers are seeking out and offering employment opportunities to proven previous staff, further increasing turnover. Business and financial analysts are in high demand at this level in particular, while there are signs that there will be growth in the healthcare, planning and infrastructure sectors.

Salaries

Annual salary reviews are occurring within most state and federal government departments over the coming months. Overall, salaries have increased to combat the attraction of booming industries such as the resources sector. However there are signs that salary levels are now stabilising across the board after significant increases in the previous financial year. Organisations are continuing to focus on benefits to attract and retain good people, with increased superannuation and salary sacrificing most common.

With no AWA's in place, departments need to be conscious of matching the salaries of candidates coming from higher paying agencies, which can create challenges when attempting to retain staff.

Candidate trends

While there has been an increase in the number of candidates seeking permanent roles, they are very selective, preferring to wait for their ideal role rather than accept a vacancy that doesn't offer everything they are looking for.

There has also been an increase in the number of candidates interested in working for the public sector and attracted by the flexibility and better work/life balance achievable.

Team culture and fit is proving to be just as important to candidates (and employers) as salary. For example, many employers will consider candidates based upon their potential rather than technical skills. As a result, employers are also prepared to train private sector candidates and will often employ a candidate with broad systems experience.

Loyalty and retention have become a real issue, with candidates less likely to remain in roles long-term and leaving for better hourly rates or salaries. Newly qualified candidates in particular will seek a new role after just one or two years. They are also looking for work close to home to save travel time and costs.