Hays Manufacturing & Operations - July 2010
Hotspots
Manufacturing/Site Management job numbers rose over the preceding few months, which is likely to lead to Supervisors and Planners becoming skills in demand this quarter.
In companies undergoing change, demand is expected to remain high for Senior Managers. Those businesses that are re-recruiting crucial business roles are also likely to look for new senior management.
Production Supervisors, especially in building construction and with wood manufacturing experience, will also be sought as activity in the housing market rises.
Meanwhile, engineering departments are being restocked as sales improve and production increases. This is creating demand for production planning and production engineering candidates. We expect that other operational positions will also require this skill set, for example Production Supervisors with continuous improvement knowledge.
Mechanical Drafters and Design Engineers are needed as workloads increase and companies gear-up for a stronger new financial year. Employees are feeling considerably more confidence in the market and will move companies for better pay or conditions.
Demand also exists for competent Tradespeople and Supervisors.
The coming quarter
Following the arrival of the new financial year, companies will create new permanent and fixed-term positions given their new budgets. Quality positions will continue to arise to ensure manufacturing facilities meet agreed standards while temporary roles will become permanent to maintain these standards.
We also expect replacement roles to be recruited.
Executive recruitment
Engineering demand has been high as companies restructure and set up new plants.
Employer trends
Temporary employee demand is beginning to make way for permanent staffing requirements in response to the consistent growth that is expected over the next 12 months and beyond.
When recruiting, employers demand highly skilled candidates with specific experience and industry knowledge. Many will wait for candidates with relevant industry experience to become available, which stretches the recruitment process considerably. By comparison, those employers who are flexible in a candidate's industry background are much more successful in their recruitment efforts. For example, for continuous improvement based roles, the principles of the position are the same.
Employers recruiting quality candidates with a degree in Food Science, Microbiology or Chemistry and with two or more years experience in food, FMCG, Pharmaceutical or Medical Device need to act quickly. Such candidates move quickly off the active market.
Employers want candidates who can add additional value. For example, Production Supervisors with continuous improvement experience, or Maintenance Planners with more sophisticated ERP/MRP skills. Multi-skilling is becoming more popular and important, particularly in mid/low-level roles.
Permanent recruiting is preferred over temporary assignments.
Candidate trends
We have seen an increase in candidate migration from New Zealand, South Africa and England. Across the board, candidates are starting to look at other opportunities and are more comfortable at moving as the market picks up.
