In May 2017, Australia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate unexpectedly fell by 2% to 5.5%, the lowest it’s been since February 2013.
42,000 jobs were added to the Australian economy, with the number of jobs advertised on Seek increasing by 8.5% year-on-year in May.
Job ads rose in almost every state with South Australia showing dramatic year-on-year increase of 20%. ACT being the only state to decrease by 0.5%.
Six Degrees certainly saw a positive impact from this shift in our three core locations (Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane), placing the highest number of professionals in new roles in a month, for the entire financial year.
- Online platforms are taking over. Advances in inventory platforms are allowing retailers to count and order stock online. It is more cost effective for suppliers, such as CCA, to adopt this system, thus increasing distribution points, reducing headcount and increasing logistical efficiency.
- Third party merchandisers on the rise. With their low-cost model and greater coverage of the market, Australian retail is again turning toward third-party merchandising organisations such as Strikeforce and Crossmark. This is driving a career re-think for some territory managers, as the rise of these organisations pose a threat to their role, while the trend exists. Some territory managers are transitioning into business development management roles, with a focus on acquisition.
- Sales, marketing and engineering all affected by the 457 Visa. Retailers and manufacturers in Australia have been negatively affected by the recently announced changes to the 457 Visa. Sales, engineering and marketing departments have become reluctant to hire international talent due to confusion associated around the implications of the changes. This is particularly poignant for the engineering discipline and manufacturing sectors where international talent has been filling the gap.
- Local branded food and beverage products in high demand. Retailers are telling us that imported brands are in a slump with respect to innovation success. As such, many are turning to local manufacturers, such as Carman’s Muesli, Emma & Toms and Swisse, that are driving innovation to generate desired or strong category growth.
- Australian talent is filling the gap in category management. A few years ago, organisations were sourcing category managers over from the UK to fill the talent gap in Australia. With Australian retailers now driving category managers to increase their skill set, improved training and development, and with an increase in salaries of category teams, there is a reduced need to source international talent.
Ivor Lloyd Rees is a Manager, B2C Sales and Marketing, Retail and Digital at Six Degrees Executive, a specialist recruitment consultancy providing talent solutions within the FMCG space.
