Hays Executive - January 2009

Public Sector

Hotspots

Increased vacancy activity for broad-based roles, such as director corporate services and chief operating officer, has created hotspots for suitable candidates. Opportunities at the general manager/CEO level between $160,000 and $300,000 are also expected this quarter.

Candidates with policy experience at all levels are in higher demand while temporary requirements still exist, primarily for business/change analysts as well as generic project managers. Professional contractors with commercial experience allied to public sector/not-for-profit exposure are in greatest demand.

The coming quarter

The coming quarter is expected to be very active; public sector organisations are creating permanent positions for strategic planning, project management and business process improvement functions. In the past, these positions were offered on a long-term contract basis.

Salaries

The public sector still faces strong competition from the private sector, although some organisations such as universities are improving their salaries in order to attract talent.