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Newy Tech Jobs: December Update

20 Dec 2021 | 5 mins, 35 secs

Here is our market update for December, showing you the latest stats and trends from the technology scene in Newcastle. This is our last episode for the year. Thank you to all of our listeners for supporting us. Looking forward to releasing more content in 2022.

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  • Transcription

    James MacDonald:

    – Welcome to the Newy Tech jobs update for the month of October and November 2021. No surprises here, still a very strong job market. So, if we have a look at October, we were up 47% year-on-year. So, we had 186 jobs posted in technology in Newcastle, in October.

    If we had to look at November, we’re up 2% year-on-year, so 148 jobs posted. So, we’ve seen a little drop off from October to November, not surprising. October tends to be the biggest month when it comes to job postings throughout the year, two peaks, October and then also February, March. So October companies looking to advertise and get people in that process and try to hire people pre-Christmas either onboard them in December or advertise in October, interview October, November a four week notice period, people start January, and then we’ve seen a bit of a lull through November, which we’ve seen again in 2021. And then we’ll get that pickup, and it’ll probably be February, March. So January at the moment, it’s been a tough year for a lot of people. We’ve had locked downs, We’ve had a lot of changes and challenges. And a lot of the people we’re talking to in the market are saying that they’re going to take an extended break this Christmas.

    So I don’t expect things to really kick up again in January until after Australia day long weekend. I think people are going to take some time off and that’d be people taking different breaks after that time. So I really expect February, March to be a massive month when it comes to advertising. If you have a look at the year as a whole, We’re up January till the end of November, 2021 versus 2020, we’re up 20%. So really seeing a bounce from any of the challenges or lack of hiring going on the technology space in 2021 That has been eradicated. And I think we’ll see more and more of that. When it comes to the actual performance of those job ads, and what we were seeing. Performance of Seek is dwindling. Although there’s more and more companies hiring, We’re seeing is the same companies post multiple times for the same job. So they’re not getting the results off the back of that. And there’s a couple of things that come into play there. When you’re an employer and you go to the back end of Seek, and actually try to post a job ad at the moment, They’ve actually got a caution for you that reads, candidate cautiousness and high demand is currently resulting in fewer applications for some job ads. So we’d look at two parts there, candidate cautiousness been a rough year for a lot of people. A lot of people just given the challenges that are going on in their lives, lock downs and all the rest of it, are not willing to change jobs.

    So it’s a bit of candidate cautiousness there. And then the second one high demand, and that definitely applies to the technology space. So there’s more demand for technology professionals than there are technology talent in Australia at the moment. So candidates and technology professionals have more options. So whilst job ad numbers are going up, I would say the actual performance of job applications is going down. I think that will continue in 2022. The game has changed. Technology professionals are demanding more of employers, recruiters, job advertisers, they’re demanding more, and they want to know who the company is that they’re applying for, where the role is going to be based, Is it in office? Is it remote? Is it hybrid? What does that hybrid look like? What are the benefits for them, ideally people before applying for a role, are looking to know what sort of salary they’re going to be paid?

    The game has changed from employers having all the power 3, 4, 5 years ago, where you could have 10 really good people applying for each role and get to choose between them. Where at the moment, at tops you’re going have two or three really good candidates for any one role at absolute top. So the game has changed and it’ll be interesting to see how that continues to play out in 2022. I don’t see borders opening having a massive effect on that anytime, definitely within the first half of 2022 . As mentioned, 2021 has been a big year, 20% up year on year for the Newcastle Technology market. Newcastle Technology market’s buoyant at the moment. There’s really good opportunities for technology professionals. There are some challenges when it comes to employers to try to hire good quality technology talent, but it’s been really positive to see from the outside different employers being creative around how they’re going to make their place of employment more attractive for technology professionals.

    So we’re definitely seeing that in the market and kudos to all the employers out there that are making the changes necessary to attract really good quality talent. It’s been a really successful year. It’s been a challenging year for a lot of people. So we here at NewyTechpeople, we just want to say thanks to the Newcastle Technology Community for all your support.

    We’ll definitely be back in 2022. We’re hoping to continue to grow in 2022 to serve the Newcastle Technology market. This year, we’re able to put out our first salary guide to give technology professionals and employers, more indication of what the market looks like. Podcasts again, will be back for 2022. Hopefully fingers crossed, we’ll be able to really get that Newcastle Technology Community out of technology events again. So we’ll be looking to support the local events scene in the technology space in 2022 and hope to see some familiar faces around. So for everyone that’s taken their time to listen to any of the content we put out this year, thank you very much. Thank you for your support.

    I hope you enjoy a safe and enjoyable holiday period with your loved ones. Thank you.

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