Our week at work, September 6-12

By CareerOne | September 10, 2010

By Josephine Asher

Australia is back at work! 30,900 new jobs were created during August, pushing the unemployment rate down 0.2 percent to 5.1 percent.

Full-time employment is up and part-time employment is down, painting a positive picture against last month’s figures.

During July, the number of full time jobs dropped by 4,200 while 27,770 new part time jobs were created, suggesting employers were favouring part-timers.

Job seekers are also enjoying more online options choosing their new jobs, with online job ads increasing by 2.81 per cent in August and 10.13 per cent in the last 12 months.

But despite the overall employment forecast looking strong, employers’ hiring pace may soften over the next three months, according a Manpower survey of over 2,200 Australian employers.

Employers in both Queensland and Western Australia are reporting a reduction in hiring expectations, Manpower’s Managing Director Lincoln Crawley says.

“The results suggest that uncertainty around the mining tax has impacted the employers in the sector and the states in which they’re based,” he says.

But the mining tax is not all to blame. The pool of skilled and unskilled labour is shrinking as workers work onboard big, long-term projects.

One job featured in the story that attracted 40 candidates last year only attracted 11 this year.

In recent job advertisements, a recruiter for the resources sector found the percentage of foreign applicants was as high as 57 per cent for coal geologists and 50 per cent for senior metallurgists.

The severity of skill shortages was not high on the agenda in the lead-up to Australia’s new government, despite being one of the most critical strategic issues for the economy.

Chief executive of the Australian Industry Group, Heather Ridout, told the Skills Australia conference on Monday that crippling skill shortages and over-skilling would be the two main issues facing workforce productivity in years ahead.

“The thing that sets high-performing companies apart is that they focus on people. They recruit well, have extensive and ongoing training, and are prepared to redesign jobs around the people they have instead of the other way around,” she says.

The skills shortage squeezing the resources sector explains why science graduates have a better chance than most of scoring a job in their chosen field when they leave university.

Former South Australian scientist of the year John Ralston says stereotypical images of “white coats working in the laboratory” turn many people off a science career but those who persevere are well rewarded.

“I would expect that for someone working in science who has 10 years’ experience, they could be getting a six-figure package in terms of salary,” he says.

Young teachers are also enjoying salary-rich lifestyles, according to OECD’s annual Education at a Glance report, just released last week.

Novice primary school teachers in Australia recorded the second-largest pay rise in the OECD between 1996 and 2008, with salaries rising 28 per cent.

Growing demand for teachers and doctors in rural areas, coupled with the both sides of government committing to big investments and developments in rural Australia during the next three-year team, regional areas are set to become abuzz.

Education will be spreading out from the urban areas too. Demographer Graeme Hugo says Australia’s university system is likely to become more decentralised during the next 50 years because of burgeoning population pressures.

There is no denying that living and working in the country has been prominent in the media during the last few weeks.

But if your only plan to relolcate in your job is upwards, you could benefit from author Alison Lee’ tips to inject power into your career.

The tale, “How To Get Ahead Without Murdering Your Boss”, is both a humorous whodunit novel, as well as an informative how-to guide on taking control of your career.

Our week at work, September 6-12

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