Hays Policy & Strategy - July 2008

Public Sector

Hotspots

Increased government funding means candidates with government experience in policy development, particularly in the areas of environment and indigenous health, are in high demand. Also in demand are project and program managers in light of new government initiatives.

Experienced policy and program officers across the board remain in demand. With substantial investment in several key areas around the states and federally, such as the environment, security and infrastructure, this will continue.

Finally, policy candidates with content knowledge, project managers with scoping expertise and change managers with strong government exposure, such as experience working on government reforms, are highly sought after.

The coming quarter

New policies in the public sector right across the country will create a higher demand for contractors in the months ahead, while many projects are looming as a consequence of Commonwealth reforms, although the recruitment of staff will not commence until the later part of the year.

Local government and the private sector have capitalised on government cut backs and secured highly qualified candidates. This is likely to continue over the coming quarter.

Executive recruitment

We are likely to see an increased demand for strategic executives to lead Commonwealth reform projects in the months ahead.

Salaries

Contractor pay rates have reached a plateau after 18 months of steady growth. In general, we do not expect any significant government salary movement in the next three to six months, with the majority of departments on pay freezes.

Candidate trends

Tenure has increased as more candidates remain in their current position. They understand there are fewer opportunities available, but the moment this changes we are likely to see an increase in highly skilled candidates in the market.