In 2015 the market was fairly flat with neither candidate or employers wishing to take much action. Candidates now like stability over big pay packets and the clients were keeping their heads above water and seeing how the market evolved following an oil crisis and generally tense times in the global economy.
2016 has seen job losses stemming from the Oil & Gas and Finance sectors primarily, with some knock on effect in events, and we know that a few key companies laid off staff. Such lay offs aren't always a sign that things are bad though, and if my experience of the post-recession market of 2008/9 is anything to go by, I think that over-staffing mistakes that were made then, might still be being made now. Our confidence gradually returned and we hired again, but forgot that being lean is key to stabilizing and succeeding. I feel that in some of the cases where redundancies were seen, it was again a case of right-sizing.
More important than this is the definite shift in who companies are hiring, it's not just a question of replacing like for like. Roles are changing again, and more commercial managers are replacing the steady, reliable types in a bid to re-position and chart a different path in our ever evolving business environment. Dynamic, analytical and proactive leaders and consultative, tenacious senior sales people who can initiate and drive change are now highly sought after, and the safe pair of hands is a thing of the past, for now.
As a result we are seeing some uplift in the number of jobs we are working on, but a rise in the number of candidates inevitably. But it's neither a candidates, nor an employers market, but it is highly competitive, and both parties really need a clear and attractive proposition, be prepared to wait for the right person/company and ready to move swiftly when they find it.
For more information or tailored advise, or if you are recruiting or job seeking and want a market appraisal, please contact myself of any member of the team.