Gold Coast business Mobile Digital swamped with 1100 applications for part-time role

One Gold Coast employer has been swamped with more than 1100 applications for a part-time job, reflecting a severe shortage of reduced-hours work on the Glitter Strip.

ONE Gold Coast employer has been swamped with more than 1000 applications for a part-time job, reflecting a severe shortage of reduced-hours work on the Glitter Strip.

Recruitment consultants are reporting a stark decline in available part-time roles, with one saying it is an indication of a strong economy.

Eibhlis Stuckey, who runs Mobile Digital, advertised for a part-time administration assistant earlier this month and received more than 1100 applications in a two-week period.

Ms Stuckey, whose company has developed a patented process of personalising and building an animated GIF or static PNG for delivery as an MMS, said she was blown away by the response. A day of interviews has been scheduled for tomorrow.

Mobile Digital’s Eibhlis Stuckey received 1100 applications where she advertised for a part-time admin assistant role. Picture: Jerad Williams

She said applicants ran the gamut of workers, from electricians to accountants, stay-at-home mums to school leavers.

“We need an administration assistant to work through the applications for the administration assistant,” she said.

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“You are looking at people who are clearly over qualified trying to fill in that time.”

Ms Stuckey said the surge of applicants for the 20-hour week role, which pays between $39,000 and $60,000 pro rata, indicates a severe shortage of these roles.

She said it was not just mums, looking to fill in the space between dropping off and picking up their kids, who were applying but also a number of small business owners.

There is a lack of part-time work on the Gold Coast with fierce competition for the few jobs available.

She said they are looking for someone with customer service skills, proficiency in Microsoft Word and a driver’s licence.

“It is daunting going through all the applications,” she said.

“If they spell something wrong the application is gone.

“We had one applicant write they had ‘excellent marketing skulls (sic).”

Mr Stuckey said so far 15 applicants had been short-listed and more than 12 interviews scheduled.

Eibhlis Stuckey runs Mobile Digital, which has developed a patented process of personalising and building an animated GIF or static PNG for delivery as an MMS.

The percentage of the Gold Coast workforce in part-time work appears to have increased between 2011 and 2016.

According to the 2016 Census, 32.8 per cent of the workforce on the Gold Coast was in part-time work compared to 29.9 per cent statewide.

That was an increase from 31.3 per cent in the 2011 Census.

However, that growth may have stalled.

The ABS Labour Force Survery for February shows 116,200 in part-time work out of a working population of 423,300. That is just 27 per cent.

ANZ’s jobs’ report for February found advertisements declined 0.9 per cent month-on-month, which was down 4.3 per cent for the 12 months to February. The monthly decline was the fourth in a row.

Tanya Abbey, of Blackwolf Consulting, said many employers overlook the value of creating part-time jobs.

She said this led to an insistence on full-time roles where part-time could be just as useful and resulting in a lack of available part-time roles.

“My experience is clients are not using part time as well as they could be,” she said.

“It is something I advocate. Just because mums can only work part time does not mean their skills are lacking.”

Ms Abbey said in her experience part-time workers tend to be more efficient because they need to fit in more work in a shorter day.

She said her office manager works from 9am to 3pm.

“She does not need to be here from 8am to 5pm,” she said.

Hays Specialist Recruitment Queensland managing director Darren Buchanan said there had been huge growth in part-time roles several years ago, which led to underemployment.

“People wanted more hours but people could not get them,” he said.

However, that had changed post-Commonwealth Games.

“We are in a much stronger position on the Gold Coast because of the Commonwealth Games,” he said.

“Employers are switching to full time because there are more projects on the books which means fewer part-time jobs.”

Hays Gold Coast business director Bailey Green said about 80 per cent of the jobs on their books are for full-time roles.

However, she said, while part-time roles may have declined there were now more employers willing to come to flexible work arrangements with employees.