Half Way Mark

CEO'S Update

The market is hard to read. We find that the overall feel of most businesses is that they are taking a cautious approach to growth. Roles have become more complex with a mix of responsibilities and so it's requiring a creative recruiter to be very resourceful in sourcing the right person.

Speed to the market is everything right now for consultants. We don't have the luxury to wait as candidates continue to have options. Counter offers are happening for some roles and so really asking the questions at our end is important.

Every region is different and being over five it gives Kinetic a great feel of the NZ market. If you wish to find out what is happening in more detail in any region we are in, please don't hesitate to call me.

Kinetic has also released the bi-annual salary survey which gives us fantastic data around the recommended salary bracket and what roles have been in most demand.

I have recently promoted Peta Dumergue, who has worked for Kinetic for ten plus years into Head of Programme Management. She will be working with our consultants and clients around process improvement, ensuring what we do in every respect for our clients is top notch.

With the year half over, a focus for me is to grow the Kinetic business especially within our regional offices, this is specifically headcount and also looking at areas of particular specialisation.

Kate Ross
CEO

The People Have Spoken

In our last newsletter, we asked you how you expected the job market to react within the next 12 months. Would we see a growth in candidate response in different industries than the norm?

We had a great response, to which most people voted that the candidate market would be on a steady incline in the year that will follow.

As a business, we have absolutely seen an increase in the talent that we have coming through our doors over the last quarter, an outstanding result given the market has been exceptionally competitive since the beginning of this year.

This competition shows absolutely no sign of slowing down, as the below data collated from SEEK Employment Trends demonstrates year-on-year ad growth from May 2017-2018.

Source: Employment Index via Seek, May 2017 vs May 2018 

We have also seen a high demand for construction roles, such as project managers, quantity surveyors and the like, which we can only predict has been due to the turnover into the new financial year and release of government budgets for new projects.

Given the above, our candidates are primarily focussing on being delivered the best from their potential employers. Businesses need to be wary of this and that they are promoting with their best foot forward  throughout the hiring process.

With a general 6.7% ad growth within the last year, both businesses and candidates are going from strength to strength - a fantastic result all round.

Generation Z Taking Over

An article from Human Resources Director has examined how "Generation Z" (those born from late 90's to 2000's), is influencing our workplaces.

The study, as carried out by 8x8 and Koski Research, surveyed 1000 full and part-time employed workers. It was found that that the younger participants of the group surveyed had made similar work communication preferences to their elders than expected.

Interestingly, 1 in 4 Gen Z workers prefer in-person communication, whereas 4 in 10 millenials state that personal interaction will be less important than it is now in the future work place. 48% of Gen Z'ers want the ability to work remotely, and 73% flexible working hours. Flexible working hours were a priority for all generations examined (Gen X, Millenials and Gen Z).

There is absolutely a benefit when it comes to younger candidates. While businesses may worry that maturity can be a doubting factor and cause hesitation, there is no doubt that younger, more junior candidates can have massive benefits in a work place. Graduates often bring fresh ideas and new perspective to the table, and undoubtedly they are usually more tech-savvy than their predecessors, being that they "do not remember a life before smart phones and social media".

Kinetic Senior Consultant, Katy Calder, says that when recruiting for a role, stand out graduates and school leavers are often willing to go the extra mile to get their foot in the door.

"Candidates that have just recently graduated from either high school or University can quite often be the most eager to learn," says Katy. "They have a great, positive attitude and more than anything, their work ethic is moldable. A young candidate that has just finished studying, generally can be unsure of where their career direction is supposed to go, they've just been thrust into the world. If a business offers a great environment and opportunities to learn, the candidate will be more than happy to get stuck in and show their best to work their way up and progress".

Click here to read the article

Nurturing The Future Workforce

We often find little to no students actually get a "taste" of what work is like and they have unrealistic versions of what it is like to work in specific industries and jobs.

Kinetic is on the hunt for businesses in Wellington that are willing to offer work experience opportunities for students and 'give back to the people of our future', on September 5th and 6th 2018.

As an organisation, we would ensure your business is seen to be growing and nurturing young talent in New Zealand, using external marketing and social media platforms. You will have the opportunity to access the talent of the future that may be relevant to your industry.

We would very much appreciate your support and please come back to us if this is of interest to you. Should you have any further questions, please contact
Susan Campbell on 029 7777 628, or email auckland@kinetic.co.nz.