Happy New Year from LJW Employment Solutions

For me, January is a time of hope and new beginnings so I want to wish everyone all the best for 2023!

2022 was a big year for me with a lot of change and challenges.

Time for a tree change?

In December 2021 we listed our Melbourne home for sale with the plan to make a tree change. After much “research” we settled on Tasmania as our preferred destination and following the settlement on on Melbourne property we began the search in earnest.

Tasmania here we come...

With the help of a local Buyers Agent we found a great new home and arrived on the Spirit of Tasmania in mid June 2022, where we were confronted by an empty house that required some serious updating.

We had a couple of local acquaintances and two cars packed to overflowing with what we’d need to begin work on the house and survive until our belongings arrived several weeks later.

To say that the next few months were challenging would be an understatement but we survived, and in the process transported our new home into the twenty first century and personalised it to meet our needs.

Business as usual

Throughout this time I’ve been able to keep working thanks to technology and my understanding clients; so as far as recruitment services go, it’s business as usual!

I believe there will be opportunities to do some additional recruitment consulting here in Tasmania, plus I see the possibility to assist job seekers who may be considering relocating from “The Mainland” in favour of the unique lifestyle offered here in Tasmania.

Recruitment predictions for 2023

January can be a pretty good time to recruit as many people look to make changes for the new year ahead. Having said that, I wouldn’t expect the job market to miraculously improve, so employers should prepare for more of the same in terms of job seeker quantity and quality.

Going forward…

Worst case - More of the same until such time as continued inflationary factors create a genuine recession which will cause layoffs. This might provide more available talent in the job pool but if the economy tanks there may not be the opportunities for these people.

Best case - Inflation slows and global supply issues continue to improve (providing China can effectively manage their COVID issues). Also increased numbers of skilled migrant and working holiday visas should help with talent shortages in some sectors.

My wish - some semblance of “normalcy” returns with employers placing emphasis on retaining and developing existing staff, and employees finding a balance between entitlement and gratitude.

New Year Job Listing tip

Recent research by Seek has found that up to 75% of job seekers will NOT apply for a job that has no visible salary information. For this reason I strongly suggest that all job listings contain remuneration guidance in some highly visible form. I understand that there are times when it is difficult for an employer to disclose this info, but there are work arounds...