Local Job Openings Poorly Promoted Overseas : Global survey by international employment agency Robert Half reveals that Australian companies are fal
SYDNEY, Australia (Business Wire EON) June 23, 2008 -- The Robert Half 2008 Global Workplace survey found that less than a quarter (23%) of Australian companies actively recruited employees from overseas. In comparison, neighbours Hong Kong and Singapore are beating Australia to it, with more than 50 per cent of companies actively recruiting globally.
Asia (49%) and the UK (38%) were the two main regions targeted by Australian companies that actively recruited internationally. This was followed by New Zealand and Western Europe on par at 21%.
The results show that Australian companies are not capitalising on the opportunities global recruitment brings, particularly in light of Australia's current skills shortage extending from skilled tradespeople to processionals in the accounting and financial services area, says David Jones, Robert Half Managing Director Asia Pacific.
"While there is a realisation within Corporate Australia that internal job fulfilment must come from beyond our borders, the results show that we have not bridged this gap as yet in attracting the world's best by promoting our economic outlook and high liveability conditions," he said.
"Countries such as Singapore and Hong Kong are attractive destinations due to the appeal of securing regional roles, largely due to these countries hosting regional hubs as well as lower taxes and attractive bonus packages."
"That said, we have an excellent window of opportunity to attract people now given the economic slowdown in the UK and the US. Our research shows us that potential employees are looking to move to Australia and take advantage of its buoyant economy," he said.
For those Australian companies not actively recruiting from overseas, lack of local knowledge of local legalities (19%), lack of local industry network (18%) and difficulty in obtaining work visas (12%) were cited as the main reasons for not actively looking overseas.
"Overall, there seems to be reluctance on the part of corporate Australia to incorporate cross border opportunities into their recruitment practices, despite their global economic outlooks," said Jones. "Our findings show that an opportunity exists for greater collaboration between businesses and government in working to overcome these issues."
There are a number of strategies that companies can easily adopt in extending their recruitment practices overseas, said Jones. Internally, these could include encouraging staff to inquire about overseas transfers with their direct reports, via global intranet sites and company noticeboards. Externally, it could be broadening hiring programs to tap into international media, keeping up to speed with visa requirements and changes to programs, thinking outside of obvious locations such as the UK and the US as well as collaborating with Government funded programs.
According to the survey, Australian companies reported using online job boards (40%), industry associations (37%) and their own websites (27%) as the three main vehicles for attracting international candidates. Globally online job boards (39%) and internal transfers (22%) were the most popular mechanism to attract foreign talent.
"Clearly online channels allow businesses to broadcast job opportunities much more cost effectively and quickly. To reflect the trend to use digital mediums to seek and promote job opportunities, Robert Half set up a website last November to help finance and accounting professionals seek information on employment opportunities around the world. Since the site went live, Robert Half has had some 11,274 visits to the Australian section, and this is growing steadily by 12 per cent each month," said Mr Jones.
The website, called Finance Jobs Abroad, features 14 destinations and numerous online jobs can be viewed at http://www.financejobsabroad.com
Additional key findings:
Australian companies listed international experience (48%) and an inability to find candidates with suitable skills locally (47%) as the two main reasons for actively seeking international candidates. Exposure to emerging trends in foreign countries (25%) and ability to adapt to new cultures (19%) were also cited as reasons for looking overseas The UK was on par with Australia in actively recruiting from overseas More than half of New Zealand companies (54%) surveyed cited Australia as one their main targets Globally, Western Europe (37%) was most popular for companies to source employees, followed by Asia (33%) and Eastern Europe (33%) Sponsoring industry or tourism events (12%) was least cited as vehicles to attract overseas candidates by Australian companies A total of 4516 HR and Financial respondents were surveyed from 17 countries including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom. There were 402 respondents from Australia. Out of this total 50% had less than 50 employees, 22% had between 51-200 employees and the rest between 200-1000.
About Robert Half
Robert Half International Inc. (RHI) pioneered specialised staffing services and today is the world's leader in the field. Founded in 1948, the company is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol:RHI) and operates four separate divisions in Australia, each serving distinct markets. They include: Robert Half Finance & Accounting, for temporary and permanent finance and accounting personnel; Robert Half Financial Services Group, for high-calibre finance and banking professionals; Robert Half Management Resources, for specialised interim financial professionals and OfficeTeam, for highly skilled temporary administrative support. There are more than 360 Robert Half International locations in Asia Pacific, Europe, North America and South America.
Links
Robert Half Australia
Robert Half News and Events
http://www.roberthalf.com.au/Site/showpage.jsp?p=EVENT_YEARLIST&s= RHF_AUS (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)
Finance Jobs abroad
http://www.financejobsabroad.com/
Employment Articles:
PreVisor Raises the Bar for Online Employment Assessments with PreView? Technology
Research and development of computer adaptive testing methods sets new standard for talent management best practices.
New WorldatWork Publication Identifies Ways to Engage Employees Based on Employment Lifecycle
Although HR professionals and senior leaders are in a position to craft an organization-wide philosophy or strategy to engage employees, everyone in the organization needs to advance the agenda of attracting, motivating and retaining talent. Employee Engagement Fundamentals: A Guide for Managers and Supervisors is a resource to equip managers and supervisors with the knowledge, perspectives and tools necessary to handle the dynamic nature of engaging employees.
MedZilla.com Releases its October Employment Outlook Numbers for Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare & Science
With more and more companies looking to bolster their bottom line by cutting costs and consolidating jobs, it is reassuring that -- at least in the past month -- job postings by state remained relatively unchanged. However, job searches are likely to increase as companies announce layoffs and reorganizations. The MedZilla.com Employment Report analyzes the numbers for October 2007 and announces the findings.
Gracefully Accepting Feedback a Key Employment Skill
With the long-term trend of protecting employees' individual self esteem added to an overriding concern over expensive employee lawsuits, accountability is more a buzzword than a way of life at most companies.This is a state of mind that has existed since the 1960s, so the average employee has never received real quality negative feedback -- the kind of feedback that might help startle him or her out of career-dashing behavior and toward a more lucrative and successful work life.
Employment Contracts Protect the Rights and Interests of Your Business
When we think of employing people, various different images come to mind. We think of resumes, job interviews, or even handshake agreements meant to finalize the hiring of individuals who will add value to a business or organization. What we often don't think of regarding the employing of people are legal contracts or the employment contract. Yet, without these, a business owner can find themselves in a sea of legal and financial trouble without a lifeline to save them. Legal contracts can be that lifeline.
Employment Taxes – Depositing With The IRS
If your business has employees, you must pay employment taxes. The payment system can be a bit confusing, so this article discusses how to go about depositing employment taxes with the IRS.
Wilson Employment Networks Acquires Bancroft Staffing of Manchester
A leading Concord area staffing firm is expanding services into Manchester.
Los Angeles Human Resources Consulting Firm to Offer Employment Screening, Drug Testing by HRPlus
HR Consulting Firm Expands Its HR Services To Include Employment Screening And Drug Testing By HRPlus. (Former Client Now Sells HRPlus Products and Services)
Self-Employment: Do you know the Difference between Rates and Wages
The difference between rates and wages is not always clear to newly self-employed people and their wage-earning clients.Both look similar on the surface; both are expressed in dollars and cents per hour.
Recognized Yoga Education Facilities and Employment Opportunities in Yoga
Yoga, the twin sister of Ayurveda is one unique science that deals with the physical and mental health of a person. Since ancient times, Yoga and Ayurveda were natural part of one's life. Over time, both sciences got buried in the history. A newfound enthusiasm on Yoga is visible all around the world, especially in the US, Germany, Australia and the UK.
Employment Outlook for Executives is Looking Up
Larry Keim, an employment industry expert, follows the trends of executives who are currently working with professional career management organizations.
Good Lawyers Equals Great Employment Deals
Have you been fired for no cause at all? Been working overtime yet underpaid? Been harassed by your boss?
Hottest Thing In Golf Employment Today ? Being A Golf Teacher
If you want to get involved in the game of golf, there are several ways to do it. Most people love to play the game during their free time. Others, however, love golf enough to want to make a career out of it. While lots of people are able to make a living by hitting straight drives, sinking long pressure putts, and posting low scores in the clubhouse, not everyone is blessed with that type of talent. Still, you do not have to be extraordinarily talented to get involved in the golf industry. One of the most popular and most rewarding forms of golf employment is the job of being a golf teacher. By having a great understanding of the fundamentals of the golf swing and a passion to teach others, you can be a great candidate to have awesome gol...
NAS Wins Prestigious iNOVA Award for Wendy's Employment Website
NAS Recruitment Communications announced today that, in recognition of work done for its Wendy's International account, it has won a Bronze Award in the 2006 iNOVA Awards competition.
Colorado Health Insurance Expert Says There May be Better Alternatives to COBRA After Losing Employment
An individual health insurance policy may be a better alternative than electing COBRA coverage, according to Colorado health insurance expert Michael Horvat, founder of Healthquotes.com. Under COBRA, the former employee is responsible for up to 102% of the premium, whereas they likely paid only a fraction of the premium as an active employee. Care should be taken to choose the best individual policy given the former employee's unique situation.