A new survey suggests that employers aren’t racing to hire new workers over the next three months. However, the prognosis isn’t quite so grim for IT professionals, who rank second amongst professions where hiring is expected to take place.
Ranking picture from Shutterstock
The Employment Trends report from talent solutions consultants Hudson found that just under two-thirds (63.2 per cent) of employers expect to hire new staff in the July-September quarter. 22.5 per cent expect an increase, while 14.2 per cent foresee reducing staff.
The highest levels of hiring are expected to be in professional services, followed by IT. In terms of professions, IT also ranks second in terms of hiring expectations, after legal firms.
“ICT still remains one of the strongest professions for hiring expectations, although there appears to be a softening in the market,” the report noted. :This is partly due to state governments rationalising spend on ICT, and projects being postponed to the next financial year or after the federal election.”
So what skills are being sought? “The drive for ICT to increase its role as a business enabler sees a continued focus on strong people skills and leadership experience and commercial acumen rather than just technical capability. Technical proficiency in SharePoint and applications support with a focus on acting as the interface between the business and outsourced development teams are in demand.”
If you’re hoping to advance within your organisation, you might also take heart from the figure suggesting that only 38.7 per cent of current leaders have had their skills formally assessed. In other words: the odds are good you can learn as you go.
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