Workout: long time looking for staff

A report by member-based advisory company CEB has found the average time to fill a vacant position rose 62 per cent between 2010 and this year.

CEB talent practice director Samantha Hickey

Long time looking

A report by member-based advisory company CEB has found the average time to fill a vacant position rose 62 per cent between 2010 and this year.

The average is now 68 days, 26 business days longer than in 2010.

CEB talent practice director Samantha Hickey says slow hiring poses risks to businesses and may hinder productivity.

“Not only do they run the risk of losing their top candidates to competitors, but they must also take into account the loss of productivity and engagement with other staff members,” Hickey says. “The knock-on effect of having an open position puts pressure and stress on colleagues who not only have to pick up the additional work, but also rely on this position to help them do their job effectively.”

Ageist attitudes

Randstad employment market analyst Steve Shepherd wants Australian companies to stop being ageist and instead take advantage of the knowledge and expertise of older generations.

Late last month the federal government appointed Susan Ryan as its inaugural age and disability commissioner, and she will focus on cutting age discrimination.

Ernst & Young statistics show people who lose their jobs once they turn 55 are unemployed for an average of 74 weeks, contributing to low morale and a dip in confidence, meaning they are likelier to drop out of the workforce.

While employers are encouraged to take on older workers, Randstad has found workers are likelier to discriminate, with 29 per cent believing over-55s are less productive and take more sick leave. But Shepherd says productivity levels are comparable across the generations, and absenteeism is often lower in the over-55s.

He says that as life expectancy increases, future generations will work longer and spend more time in retirement, although they have yet to realise its financial impact.

Women at work

Liquid Learning will present the women in finance and accounting leadership summit in next month, focusing on the development of emerging female finance leaders.

Guest speakers will include ANZ chief financial officer Anthea Kane and her counterpart at the Australian Red Cross, Sandy Chakravarty, who will tackle the transition into leadership while sharing their own inspirational journeys.

A Liquid Learning spokesman says despite a healthier representation of women in finance, there are still challenges to overcome.

Skills shortage

Recruitment firm Hays’s latest salary guide has found more than half of employers surveyed believe the skills shortage could hamper the effective operation of their business. Of the 2610 organisations surveyed, 36 per cent intend to increase permanent staff levels this year.

Hays Australia and New Zealand managing director Nick Deligiannis says that as the available candidate pool is absorbed, skills shortages will emerge.

The report shows 14 per cent of employers experienced difficulty recruiting in accountancy and finance, 12 per cent had trouble finding technical and sales and marketing staff, and 10 per cent found it hard to recruit the right information technology specialists.

Deligiannis says the skills shortage had eased in recent years, but it is intensifying around high-skill areas.

“Australia’s employers face a tight labour market for highly skilled professionals in high-skill industries,” Deligiannis says.