Australia – Is your employer brand under threat?

How are the deteriorating economic conditions in global markets affecting companies’ employer brands? Business confidence in Australia has dropped to its lowest levels since the September 2001 terrorist attacks, influenced by soaring food and fuel prices and high interest rates. Regardless of this, it is suggested that unemployment will remain steady at 4.3%.

The National Australia Bank’s monthly business survey indicates that employment conditions have deteriorated to record their first negative monthly reading in over six years.

In Australia Hudson produce a regular report on the state of employment entitled the ‘Hudson Report on Employment Expectations’. This substantial report which has established itself as a key socio-economic indicator for the Australian market surveyed more than 7,000 employers from more than 19 core industry groups.

The results for the July-September 2008 quarter include the following:

> 34.2% of these employers indicated an intention to increase permanent staff levels, a fall of 3.7% over the previous quarter

> figures for individual states were:
ACT 30.0%
WA 52.8%
QLD 42.2%
SA 42.8%
NSW 32.8%
VIC 28.3%
The continuing resources boom is helping maintain employer optimism at the peak, however sentiment in construction/property/engineering is the highest at 53.4% with resources a close second at 45.8%.

> 52.6% expected to maintain present numbers of staff

> 6.6% intend to decrease permanent staff levels

Overall these reports are not painting a particularly bleak picture. Although business confidence has obviously dropped, there is no suggestion of massive layoffs, bankruptcies and recruitment stoppages.
The difficulties experienced by recruiters to find quality talent remain and are unlikely to diminish for some time. Organisations are still faced with the continuing task of retaining top talent and keeping them engaged and motivated.

I guess those people at Heywood Innovation still have a job to do.

Tony Heywood is a Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia, founder of Heywood Innovation in Sydney Australia and joint founder of BrandSynergy in Singapore.
tony@heywood.com.au
www.heywood.com.au
www.brandsynergy.com.sg

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