Hays Education
January - March 2012
Hotspots
The severe shortage of qualified early childhood staff combined with a growing number of centres is creating a huge demand for candidates. Both permanent and temporary Early Childhood Teachers and Diploma qualified staff will remain in high demand for the foreseeable future.
Temporary contractors will be needed in schools while permanent secondary teachers will be sought for term two vacancies. The demand within teaching remains on trend, with the greatest need for teachers of technical subjects. There is a shortage of Teachers qualified in learning support, ICT, Mathematics, Sciences, English and Design and Technology. Opportunities also exist for Teacher Librarians.
Overcoming skills shortages
In the early childhood sector, new graduates are highly sought after as soon as they enter the market. Employers are willing to recruit graduates and develop them. Experienced candidates are attracted out of current positions by promotional opportunities.
The coming quarter
A high volume of both temporary and permanent childcare vacancies will exist this quarter. Within the teaching sector, we will see an increase in temporary assignments and there will be a focus on recruiting permanent staff to commence in term two. Casual teaching demands will also increase this quarter, leading to temporary contracts.
Executive recruitment
Executive positions in teaching will begin to surface this quarter, with roles due to commence in 2013.
Employer trends
Consistent and gradual salary growth continues in the teaching sector and recruitment activity remains very cyclic. For example, schools fill permanent vacancies throughout the year with temporary contractors to allow more permanent options to be available at the start of the next academic year. Contract work picks up and permanent jobs arise for each term.
To aid candidate attraction, employers are offering personal development to candidates, more RDO's and planning time. They are also providing discounts for parents who need childcare.
Candidate trends
The shortage of qualified childcare professionals shows no signs of abating. This sector continues to see high turnover rates, with permanent candidates typically moving once every 12 months.
