Ok, maybe not EVER. It’s been a turbulent year for sure but for those who are still gainfully employed, you should count yourself lucky! The recruitment industry has a habit of getting quite fat in the good times; a dedicated resourcer akin to a double chin or a junior administrator like an unsightly muffin top. Since the borders shut the industry has been on a crash diet. An Atkins/Keto/Paleo hybrid all while going hell for leather on an exercise bike in multiple hoodies wrapped head to toe in bin bags. The result, our industry is now ‘summer ready’ just in time for beach season. This is a good thing; dare I say a great thing! You made it! Like the great race pre-birth, you outswam your potential brothers and sister into existence. Be it on the strength of your billings, blackmail on your boss, network, or attitude you’ve managed to pass muster and cut the mustard.
This Darwinist slant on employment has paved the way for a new dawn. We’ve got a breed of harder skinned recruitment consultant; they’ve evolved to reach the placement on the higher trees and even better news for gathering, there are less of these ‘homo-recruitus’ than ever before. Less competition can be a good thing, your client is receiving fewer phone calls than ever before and the contingent job you’re working on has less chance of getting filled by a mystery recruiter. Although, it must be said that although your client is experiencing fewer calls, you could argue the quality of calls is at a more consistent level. Your client will also be expecting a higher level of candidate if they are going to part ways with their well-reserved recruitment budget.
Another reason to be cheerful; I can’t remember ending a year with as much optimism for the next! To quote a certain league-leading, odds-defying football team in the North West of England “at the end of the storm there’s a golden sky” While December has been a relatively quiet month across the board, most of my clients had BIG Novembers with Jan and Feb looking a bit more like yesteryears billings. Temp margins are steadily increasing with more people returning to work. Stats NZ reported hours in June 2020 quarter fell by 10.3% compared with the April quarter. Hours worked fell by 9.1% compared to the June 2019 quarter, paid hours fell by 1.9% compared to June 2019 paid hours. This is the biggest drop in paid hours since 2009. So, the only way is up!
We also have a belated Christmas present around the corner at some unknown date, the boarders will reopen. With NZ securing 15 million doses, this isn’t three hits for every kiwi mind. Our neighbors in the Cook Islands, Niue, and Tokelau will be the recipients of this probably risk-free cure. You’ve got to think that when the borders open there will be an above-average rate of ex-pats knocking on Aotearoa’s door. Forgetting that we didn’t legalize cannabis because of a marketing campaign that featured a literal baby sparking up in the womb, NZ is the forward-thinking, empathetic darling of the world. Most recruitment desks are job-rich and candidate short, this has never been truer than this year. When the candidate pool eventually gets topped up, we can finally venture into the deep end and source those hard to find candidates that our clients are eagerly searching for.
Like a true yo-yo dieter, this lean aesthetic is temporary. The motivation to shred pounds is temporary, like trying to appear taut for wedding photos once the goal is achieved it’s back to the Watties & Whitakers. The demand is back! Soon the supply will be and when that happens commercial companies and recruitment agencies alike will be looking to grow their teams as the economic waistband is again pushed to its limit. So, drink, eat and be Merry this Christmas period because when you return to work it should be just that, work, and I for one can not wait! 🎅
