- 98% of Australian business leaders approaching candidates who are not actively looking for a new role
- 31% of employees are not actively looking for a new job but would consider the right offer.
Sydney, 25 August 2022 – Increased hiring activity and turnover in the past 12 months means a shrinking active jobseeker market as skilled candidates settle into new roles. This, coupled with record low unemployment and high job vacancy rates, has resulted in businesses turning to the passive talent market – those not actively looking for a new job – to fill roles.
New independent research by specialised recruiter Robert Half finds 98% of Australian business leaders approaching candidates who are not actively looking for a new role in a bid to secure talent, with 27% always doing so and just 2% solely reliant on the active jobseeker market.
Reflecting where challenges securing talent or demand for permanent headcount are greatest, CIOs, large organisations and businesses in Queensland and Western Australia have the highest proportion of business leaders who always engage in poaching practises.
One third of workers not looking to change but open to the right offer
In good news for employers relying on the passive market, a survey of Australian workers finds that close to a third of employees (31%) say they are not actively looking for a new job but would consider a new role if approached with the right offer.
“Increased hiring activity and turnover in the past 12 months means a shrinking active jobseeker market as skilled candidates settle into new roles, creating even more competition for talent. With unemployment at 3.6%, the number of people currently employed is at an all-time high, which is creating a very tight market of active jobseekers. However, we are still seeing that passive talent - those currently in a role - are aware of their bargaining power in the market and are open to changing jobs for the right offer,” said Nicole Gorton, Director of Robert Half in announcing Robert Half’s latest survey results.
“Reflecting the scarcity of active jobseekers in the market, businesses are increasingly turning to passive talent who are currently employed elsewhere. Pre-pandemic, headhunting was reserved for the senior end of the market particularly $250k or over, as the combination of international migration and a lower appetite for new headcount meant businesses could rely on the active job market for a much higher proportion of their junior to mid-level hiring activity. Approaching passive talent was typically reserved for the technical, niche, or hard-to-find skillsets, and as such was more common within the tech space than finance and business support.”
“By contrast, we are in a hiring market of extremely elevated demand for talent as companies simultaneously undertake ambitious growth agendas and deliver on a backlog of projects put on hold over the pandemic. As we know, the supply of talent to accommodate this demand simply isn’t there, so businesses across industries and sizes have been turning to the passive market as their first port of call for a little over a year in order to secure permanent headcount.”
“Employers willing to extend a competitive package including a generous salary increase of 15% or more, flexible working arrangements and career progression opportunities are well positioned to attract passive talent from their existing employer,” Gorton concludes.
When hiring, how often does your organisation approach candidates who are not actively looking for new role?
|
Industry |
Business Size |
Location | |||||||
|
Total |
CFO |
CIO |
SME |
Large |
NSW |
QLD |
WA |
VIC | |
|
Always |
27% |
19% |
37% |
23% |
35% |
27% |
29% |
29% |
21% |
|
Often |
31% |
35% |
31% |
30% |
34% |
37% |
36% |
31% |
20% |
|
Sometimes |
26% |
27% |
19% |
30% |
19% |
23% |
16% |
31% |
36% |
|
Rarely |
14% |
18% |
11% |
16% |
11% |
13% |
15% |
9% |
19% |
|
Never |
2% |
1% |
2% |
3% |
1% |
0% |
4% |
0% |
4% |
Independent survey commissioned by Robert Half among 300 business leaders in Australia
##
Notes to editors
About the research
The study is developed by Robert Half and was conducted online in June 2022 by an independent research company, surveying 300 hiring managers, including 100 CFOs and 100 CIOs, from companies across Australia. This survey is part of the international workplace survey, a questionnaire about job trends, talent management, and trends in the workplace.
The Australian worker study is developed by Robert Half and was conducted online by an independent research firm in June 2022, surveying 1,019 office workers from across Australia.
MEDIA CONTACT
Lynn Reviers
Senior Communications Manager, Asia Pacific
E: lynn.reviers@roberthalf.com.au