Hays report shows New Zealand employers are hiring
If you considering a move to New Zealand, this is the news you’ll want to read: New Zealand employers are looking to hire more staff, according to Hays latest report, with more positions becoming available in 2010.
Managing Director of Hays New Zealand, Jason Walker, says that confidence is returning and employers are preparing for an expected upturn in business.
The report focused on the following industries:
- Accountancy & finance – commerce & industry
- Accountancy & finance – professional practice
- Architecture
- Construction
- Contact centres
- Engineering
- Facilities management and Hays property
- Human resources
- Information Technology (IT)
- Labour hire
- Office support
Accountancy & finance
The latest Hays quarterly report points out that qualified accountants with three to four years experience, internal auditors at all levels, tax consultants and credit controllers are amongst the skills in highest demand.
Architecture
Hays also expects an overall increase in vacancy activity in the architecture market with demand for urban designers, particularly at a senior level.
Construction
Hays expects more permanent roles to arise with the new year. With regional council contracts, there will be an increased need for construction managers to work in remote and small South Island locations. Additionally, we will see a higher need for contract and temporary quantity surveyors and estimators.
Contact centres
Demand for customer service staff is also increasing, with the removal of headcount freezes. Telesales and account managers are a particular focus of demand, as companies try to bring in more business and retain more clients.
Engineering
There is high demand for senior engineers with business development skills and existing clients, as well as transport planners and traffic engineers. The recruitment specialists add that the majority of recruitment activity in this sector will be focused on transport-related subjects for consultants and councils.
Facilities management and Hays property
Hays points out a noticeable increase in the number of property and facilities management vacancies, from key appointments to new recruitments at the entry level. There has also been a slight increase in demand for executive candidates.
Human resources
With many restructures, improvements and changes taking place in organisations, a need for high-level senior advisors and principals has been created. Most new employees are replacing departing ones and it is rare for new roles to be created.
Information Technology
Business analysts are increasingly in demand, for both contract and permanent roles. There is also a need for application support and website management roles, as well as an ongoing need for mid to senior-level developers.
More contact roles are becoming available in this sector and employers are seeking to retain good candidates for permanent roles at a later stage.
Labour hire
Trade-qualified painters, decorators and carpenters are in demand. With a larger candidate pool than during the height of the skills shortage, Hays believes that businesses will now only hire qualified tradespeople, rather than settling for non-qualified candidates.
Temporary recruitment is expected to increase, as sub-contractors that downsized in the past are now looking at steadily building up their teams again.
Office support
Office support staff with all-round skills are in demand in New Zealand, as employers value multi-taskers such as mid-level administrators with skills across a variety of systems.
Office managers, team/group secretaries and fast data-entry professionals are also sought. Hays expects an initial increase in temporary roles in the coming quarter, with many of those roles becoming permanent over time.
