Recruitment market update – July 2018

After recent media reports about lower business confidence, we are pleased to note that it has been another busy quarter here at Eclipse. Being in the recruitment industry, we do tend to gain an insight into how businesses are faring and currently we are seeing both new roles being created and existing roles being replaced. This bodes well for how our clients are feeling about the current market.

We’ve seen activity across many industries from commercial interiors to insurance, technology to manufacturing – both junior and senior roles. With all this activity, candidates are in hot demand. It’s always more challenging to secure top candidates during times like this and there are some essentials to a strong recruitment plan. As a recap from previous newsletters, these fundamentals are:

  • Have a plan and a process – don’t leave it to chance. Better yet, have the confidence that someone is completely dedicated to managing the recruitment process for you – leave it to Eclipse.
  • Know and communicate your employment brand – people are looking for the right fit for them, so make sure anyone involved in meeting and interviewing the candidates give a great impression.
  • Move fast – people often have more than one job application on the go and good people get snapped up. Don’t delay the offer and negotiation process.
  • Understand motivators – some people want growth opportunities, other people are focused on what the role does day to day, and others are wanting flexibility – the list is endless. If you understand their drivers, you can assess if your opportunity matches the person (and vice versa).
  • Be prepared to train – you might not get the exact match of skills, so why not be open to training someone who has the right attitude and ability? We have more on this on the back page of this newsletter.
  • Make sure you get the remuneration right – there are a variety of factors to consider, but to secure top people you need to at least be meeting the market for the skill set, background and caliber of candidate you need in the role.

A well planned and managed recruitment process can be the difference between having a choice of candidates and having a vacant position for many months – a real cost to your business.

Employment law changes

A hot area of conversation lately has been the changes to employment law this year. We cover more on changes to parental leave legislation here. This can be a complex topic and we can recommend employment lawyers or HR consultants to work with if you have specific questions.

The Employment Relations Amendment Bill was also introduced to Parliament early this year. It covers a range of things, such as minimum rest and meal breaks and collective agreements. Of particular note is that the 90-day trial period law will change should the Bill go through. By the end of this year or the beginning 2019 (an estimate at this stage), it is expected that the 90-day trial period law will only be available to businesses with fewer than 20 people. It is still at Select Committee stage, so no changes have yet been made, meaning all employers are currently able to use the 90-day trial period in their employment agreements.

Eclipse celebrates 14 years in business

On a lighter note, Eclipse celebrated 14 years in business in June. When I first launched Eclipse in 2004 I couldn’t even imagine what the business might look like in 14 years’ time, and yet here we are – with many wonderful, loyal and long-standing clients, and a fabulous team who are all as passionate about finding fantastic people for our clients as I have always been. We love what we do and enjoy the relationships we are able to build with our clients and candidates. Thank you for your support over the years!

We wish our clients a fantastic second half to the year, and welcome the opportunity to support you whatever your recruitment needs may be.

Lisa Hill, Managing Director

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