Adjusting your thinking for a changing job market

This interesting blog from Jo Bayley of Firebrand Auckland office where she offers insights to the changing local job market

***********************************************************************************************************************************

There are numerous changes I've observed during the last two years in the way marketing companies work with their creative suppliers and the impact this has had on the way agencies and brand design companies plan resources. The key resource for any creative agency is its people.

Before the global recession, marketing companies would work with annual promotional budgets, which they would share with their agency. It meant agencies could then plan the permanent staffing needs to service that account and made forecasting a doddle. However it was also the days where reviews of success took place at the end of each large campaign or at the end of the financial year.

The recession has made marketers a lot more cautious when it comes to ensuring their money is being used effectively. With the increased use of digital advertising and direct marketing, clients are able to analyse quickly what their money has achieved or not achieved. The result of these different influences and opportunities is that some agency clients are now allocating budgets project-by-project or ad-hoc. This has big implications when planning resourcing or staffing.

At Firebrand New Zealand we have noticed an increase in permanent roles compared to the last two years, however we have also noticed an increase in contracts. More scenarios are occurring where we organise three to six month contracts to cover a project with the intention of extending the contract or converting to permanent when it’s confirmed the client budget is there moving forward.

There are positives and negatives with permanent versus contract from both sides. With contracts, clients minimise the financial risk and have the opportunity to ensure staff members are the right fit. They also have the opportunity to change contractors when the project requirements change. This flexibility has proven to be a model some smaller agencies see as the way to go in the future. Positives for talent include ensuring the right fit, the flexibility to take time off between projects and perhaps a good option for those with short attention spans!

The negative aspects come down to a reduced pool of available quality talent for the contracts and a lack of security for candidates. People were certainly more open to contracts during the recession, but the reality is the majorities of really good talent are still working in permanent jobs and will not leave for a contract. They see the risk as a back-up option rather than a life-style choice.

However employers and talent need to look more seriously at contract as a viable, flexible and affordable option. It’s been a long time since we’ve had the “womb to tomb” employment option, but the job market continues to change and we all need to keep up to ensure our relevance.