2009 and the onset of the new Financial year, continues to provide much speculation and interest for those in and outside the recruitment industry.

Any clearly defined trends are reasonably difficult to identify in this changing climate, however, in general terms the early signals are leaning towards more positive times.

Against trend, Ambrosini finished the 2008/09 financial year with record June figures, bringing the completion of the year into profitable territory and providing a fantastic launching pad into the 09/10 fiscal year. In addition to this ‘quiet confidence’ Ambrosini is also buoyed by the comparatively resilient WA market which has been further backed by the optimism surrounding projects such as Gorgon and Okajee. Understandably, pockets of the market will still struggle, however generally speaking the mindset has certainly started to change.Candidates have identified the positive nature in WA’s market, and similar to the influx we saw of interstate and overseas candidates during the boom, we are again seeing a flow of highly capable and experienced professionals and executives onto our shores. Unlike the boom times though, these are people who, despite their best efforts, skills and experience, are finding the employment markets in other parts of the world difficult.

On the more junior end of the market, we have identified that very little has changed from previous years, where the pool of skilled staff is still relatively poor. This is coupled with the significant increase in application numbers, resulting in an area of recruitment that still poses significant challenge for business.
In terms of candidates, the over-riding emphasis has been put back to ‘security and stability’ over remuneration, and business is rewarding achievements through training and memberships instead of financial incentives. This has been demonstrated by a ‘levelling’ of salaries; we were previously seeing average increments in the area of 25-30%, this has now come down to a more manageable and sustainable 10-15%. Candidates who remain the most desirable in the current market include the following:- Credit controllers / debt collectors- Payroll - Financial controllers and internal auditors- Business analysts, management and cost accountants- Assistant accountants- Senior finance contractors, particularly statutory reporting and taxation temporary staff