Clarius Skills Indicator shows which skills are in demand for 2014

SHOULD you play hard ball with the boss or just be happy to have a job? A new report shows exactly which skills are in demand across the country.

WHETHER you can afford to play hard ball with your boss can be tough to work out.

Now, the Clarius Skills Indicator, which tracks the availability of skilled labour in the Australian economy, details exactly which skills are in demand across the country.

It takes into account 10 prominent jobs from a range of sectors, and found that as the mining boom moves past its peak there is an oversupply of job seekers at the lower end of the labour market, particularly in manufacturing, hospitality and tourism.

“This softening in labour demand has seen the surplus of job seekers in the Australian economy steadily rise in recent quarters to reach an oversupply of 167,000 jobs in the March quarter of 2014. It is expected this surplus will continue to increase and peak at 198,000 in the September quarter,” the report states.

Trends like online shopping have had a major impact on retailers.

Here are their projections for your industry:

Shortage of 500 skilled advertising and sales managers: As businesses move from bricks and mortar shop fronts to online and app-based sales, the demand for advertising and sales managers has changed leading to an overall shortage at present.

Surplus of 3000 skilled retail, hospitality and service managers: Weakness in the consumer sector has turned a shortage of 2600 managers into a surplus of 3000 in the last year Clarius reports. However this could change as the consumer sector starts to improve.

Surplus of 500 ICT managers: Weak economic conditions and low investment in technology by businesses has led to a surplus of IT workers. It’s not just the management space as there is also a surplus of 1800 ICT professionals according to the report.

There is a surplus of IT workers at present, according to the report.

Surplus of 4100 engineering professionals: As the mining boom moves from the investment to production phase engineering jobs are in oversupply. However growth in related sectors like construction and infrastructure could help pick up some slack.

Surplus of 1600 accountants, auditors and company secretaries: Softer activity in the real economy means accountants and secretaries have also experienced a weakening market, according to the report.

The market for sales, marketing and public relations professionals is in balance: The transition from traditional sales to new means in online space has led to demands for different skill sets in marketing and public relations. This has helped pick up slack from weakening areas of the sector and means that overall the market is in balance.

Surplus of 19,700 clerical and administrative workers: Demand for those with less developed skills tends to wane during weaker economic conditions leading to a surplus in this space at present, according to the report.

The report shows the market for sales, marketing and PR professionals is in balance.

Clarius Group CEO Kim Quick said the results show employers are carefully assessing plans before hiring new staff.

“Executives are asking recruiters to identify good talent in readiness for growth but they’re watching their cost base closely and opting for a flexible workforce that can quickly be turned on or off,” she said.

However the depreciating dollar should lead to stronger demand in manufacturing and tourism which have suffered in recent years.

“Lacklustre economic sentiment and the high Australian dollar has muzzled the ability, and desire, for investment but these conditions are starting to change and we should see improvement by the end of 2014 and early 2015,” she said.

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