Workout: Dentist more fun than the job hunt, as workers stay put

A new survey leaves no doubt what job-hunters think about employment sites and the effort of looking for work.

CareerOne’s Ben Foote says job sites need to recognise people are not enjoying the experience.

Australians are likelier to want to stick with their job than look for another, with 75 per cent of participants in a CareerOne survey saying they would rather go to the dentist than job hunt.

Of the 1000 people surveyed, 35 per cent found job hunting painfully boring and 31 per cent found the process uninformative.

The survey found 63 per cent of people thought the information in job ads lacked details about company core values and culture.

More people are looking for job security — at 60 per cent — compared with finding the right company to work for, at 55 per cent.

CareerOne chief executive Ben Foote says employment sites need to recognise that people are not enjoying the job hunting experience.

Overtime overload

Hays’ annual salary guide shows more than one-quarter of Australian organisations increased staff overtime in the past year, with 62 per cent saying overtime was unpaid.

A further 34 per cent say overtime increased by five to 10 hours a week, and 11 per cent say overtime was up by more than 10 hours.

Hays Australia managing director Nick Deligiannis says many Australians are working more hours than they are paid for, predominantly those on a salary in professional services.

Deligiannis says overtime can cause stress and burnout

He says there can be a good business case to increase temporary or permanent staff instead.

Stay flexible

It is getting harder to find a job as unemployment increases, and a Right Management survey shows more people are changing location or job functions because they are desperate to win a position.

The survey of people made redundant in the past two years found people are taking an average 3.1 interviews to land a job this year compared with 2.6 interviews last year. Up to 40 per cent of people are also accepting less money to ensure they at least have a position.

The survey found 47 per cent of people changed roles to suit a position, recognising the need to be flexible when unemployed.

Talent and career management leader Tim Roche says the workplace is experiencing rapid change because of globalisation and technological advancements, which are changing the jobs available and skills in demand.

He says people must be flexible, open to change and constantly investing in personal development to remain employable.

Age a barrier

Research by specialist financial recruitment agency Marks Sattin shows finance and accounting jobseekers are twice as likely to experience age discrimination as opposed to sex discrimination in NSW and Victoria.

The research shows 75 per cent of those over 50 face age discrimination in the finance sector.

Marks Sattin director Ieuan Williams says older workers are seen to be resistant to change by 67 per cent of those surveyed and slow to learn by 37 per cent, despite being five times less likely to change jobs compared with workers aged 20 to 24, reducing recruitment and training costs.

Williams says sex discrimination is on the radar but age discrimination is largely ignored, especially during the hiring process.

He says age discrimination needs to be addressed urgently, and Australia needs to eradicate stereotypes and adopt a pro-mature workforce culture.

VERITY EDWARDS