Mar 27, 2023
We all know the market ain’t like it was last year.
The general sentiment I’ve found is that businesses across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are being strategically conservative, holding off from hiring while keeping a close eye on the economy …
Recently I’ve been in touch with a lot of the hiring managers we worked with over the last 12 months, and I’ve spoken to around 1200 candidates this year, so I wanted to provide a bit of an overview (as this is something I’m asked on a daily basis) …
✏ There’s been a real tendency in the agile and product space that even if a team is in need of an additional resource, companies are holding off from hiring and playing it safe, either distributing the work across the team or pilling it on top of one of the Product Managers …
✏ After all the restructurings and redundancies, a lot of the people I’ve been speaking with are a little concerned about their own job security. So if this is you: you’re not alone!
✏ Even if candidates want to move, they’re a little hesitant to move in the current climate, fearing that being the first in will mean the first out …
✏ While last year recruiters spent a lot of time and effort consulting companies to get streamline their hiring processes, we’ve seen this increase again this year … for instance, the time to fill for perm last year was 28 days and now it’s around 60 days …. Which is also why I’ve spoken to a lot of people who have applied for roles but waited ages to hear back … all a sign that the mad rush we had last year has slowed right down
✏ In terms of the huge high we had last year, I’ve found that salary expectations can be a little unrealistic: now I’m not saying to undersell yourself, but I think that being a little understanding that most businesses will be aiming to play it safe, so this is the year that you’d need to be a little flexible
But in saying all this: the market for product is nevertheless relatively good … ads are on SEEK and LinkedIn, places are needing to backfill, and candidates who have been out of work are finding new jobs.
We’ll be coming out with the Q3 Project Services market report in the next few weeks, so stay tuned …
