Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Episode 94
78 Plays2 days ago
First news of 2025 and question - When do words matter more then the message? - see if you agree.
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Event Reminder
00:00:09
Speaker
A quick reminder Adele that it's six weeks until Bullhorn engage on Thursday, the 6th of March, 2025, the Winx stand Royal Randwick racecourse in Sydney. Are there still tickets available Ross? Yes, they are just $299 each, but less than 100 remain. Discover how to more effectively engage talent and learn about the future of recruitment at Engage. For more information, visit engage dot.bullhorn dot.com and we look forward to seeing you there.
Labor Market Update
00:00:40
Speaker
This is the news for the 27th of January, 2025. I'm Adele Last. According to the latest ABS labor market update, the jobless rate in December was 4%, a 0.1% rise from November. There was a 23,700 decline in full-time jobs, while part-time jobs rose by 80,000 in seasonally adjusted terms.
00:01:04
Speaker
The economy added 56,300 jobs in the month, 52% better than the 37,000 monthly average for the 2024 calendar year. The participation rate returned to 67.1% seasonally adjusted after declining to 67% in November. On a state and territory basis, the ACT posted the lowest unemployment rate, 3.1%, followed by WA 3.3%, and New South Wales 3.8%.
00:01:33
Speaker
The highest month-on-month job growth was 0.6% which was recorded in SA, WA and the Northern Territory. The positive news on job growth was reinforced with the three monthly job vacancies data showing growth for the first time in nearly three years. Job vacancies increased by 4.2% in the three months to November 2024, seasonally adjusted. This is the first increase since May 2022 when job vacancies reached the historical peak.
00:02:02
Speaker
Private sector vacancies rose by 4.7% and public sector vacancies by
00:02:20
Speaker
TEMP net fees were down by 9% and PERM fees were down by 23%. By country, Hayes Australia was down 13% and New Zealand down 24%.
Economic Reports and Company Performance
00:02:31
Speaker
By region, Victoria recorded the largest year-on-year decline of 20% with New South Wales down 18% and WA down 17% suffering comparable falls. Queensland was down only 6%.
00:02:45
Speaker
At the ANZ specialism level, construction and property decreased by 13%, IT t fell by 10, accountancy and finance down by 20 and off support decreased by 18%. Hayes ANZ consultant headcount was down 2% quarter on quarter and down 20% year on year. Page Group, the 30th largest global staffing firm, reported group gross profit of ยฃ196.7 million pounds for Q4 2024. a fall of 13% in constant currency compared to the corresponding period in 2023. Page Group APAC's Q4 gross profit was down 14.6% against 2023 to 29.5 million pounds, with Australia the worst regional performer recording a 25% year-on-year quarterly decline in net fees. Group productivity measured as gross profit per fee earner was down 5% compared to Q4 2023.
00:03:41
Speaker
The fee earner headcount in the region increased by 92 to reach 1532. Overall, Page Group had 5,370 fee earners and a total headcount of 7,361 as of 31 December 2024.
ProLink NZ Investigation
00:03:59
Speaker
A liquidators report into an insolvent Auckland-based labour hire company, ProLink NZ, has estimated that the company owes about $4m New Zealand dollars to creditors.
00:04:10
Speaker
The company remains the centre of a major investigation by Immigration New Zealand, INZ, that commenced in September 2023 after complaints from migrant workers who say they have been cheated thousands of dollars but have had little to no full-time work. ProLink NZ entered into and voluntary liquidation about a month ago. Dozens of the company's 188 migrant employees whose accredited employer work visas are at risk have written to INZ asking to be granted open work visas and for the directors of the company to be held to account. Since April 2022, the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment has received over 18,000 complaints against accredited employers with over 600 having had their accreditation for this type of visa revoked and nearly 180 their accreditation suspended.
Fair Work Commission Case
00:05:02
Speaker
The Fair Work Commission has begun hearings in Brisbane for a landmark case against the second largest company on the ASX over labour hire workers, testing the Albanese Government's same job, same pay laws. The Mining and Energy Union applied for orders to raise the pay of over 1,600 labour hire mine workers at Peak Downs, Suraji and Guniella Riverside Mines to match that of permanent employees.
00:05:25
Speaker
The pay of affected workers will be lifted between $10,000 and $40,000 annually, according to the MEU. According to the union, BHP is fighting the applications made under Same Job, Same Pay laws introduced by the Albanese government to prevent employers from using labour hire as a loophole to undercut established enterprise agreements. The hearings are important for establishing that labour hire mine workers of BHP mines, including those employed by BHP's in-house provider, Operation Services, are eligible for Same Job, Same Pay.
00:05:55
Speaker
MEU General Secretary Graham Kelly said the union is very confident that the Workpack, Janet McLeod and Operation Services employees covered by the union's application are eligible for same jobs, same pay. Barristers for BHP gave their opening statements late last week.
Future of Jobs and Technology Impact
00:06:12
Speaker
The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 released two weeks ago forecasts global macro trends will create about 170 million new jobs this decade.
00:06:23
Speaker
equivalent to 14% of today's employment, while 92 million roles will be displaced by these same trends, leading to a net employment increase of 78 million jobs. Other key forecasts include AI and data processing alone will create 11 million roles and replace 9 million. Robots and automation are forecast to displace 5 million more jobs than they create.
00:06:48
Speaker
Technological skills are projected to grow in importance more rapidly than any other skills in the next five years. AI and big data are at the top of the list, followed by networks and cybersecurity and technological literacy. Creative thinking, resilience, flexibility and agility are also rising in importance, along with curiosity and lifelong learning. Leadership and social influence, talent management,
00:07:13
Speaker
Analytical thinking and environmental stewardship round out the top 10 skills on the rise. Skills gaps are categorically considered the biggest barrier to business transformation, with 63% of employers identifying them as a major barrier over the next five years. The report surveyed more than 1,000 companies worldwide representing 22 industry clusters and more than 14 million workers to assess the job market and uncover how organizations expect it to evolve between now and 2030.
Employment Hero's Expansion into Canada
00:07:43
Speaker
Australia-based Employment Hero has agreed to acquire Hummee, a Canadian talent platform. The deal is estimated to be worth around $110 million. Hummee provides a unified payroll HR benefits solution. Employment Hero's platform combines HR, payroll, recruitment and employee engagement tools with the employment app Employment Hero Jobs, which integrates career management and financial wellbeing. The acquisition will facilitate Employment Hero's expansion into Canada, a key market for the business, as it seeks to broaden its global footprint, which currently serves over 2 million employees and 300,000 SMEs worldwide.
Corporate Misconduct and Legal Consequences
00:08:22
Speaker
A former CEO of a Queensland Credit Union has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after being found guilty in November last year
00:08:30
Speaker
of two counts of dishonestly using his position to gain an advantage and two counts of providing misleading information to an auditor. Lyndon Kingston was the CEO of Banana Coast Community Credit Union where he committed the offences during an 18 month period across 2016 and 2017. He was charged after a year long investigation by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. Judge Carl Heaton said Kingston gained a total of approximately $140,000 after making informal agreements with a consultant and contractor through his dealings at BCU and hadn't disclosed to BCU that he had made prior arrangements with the consultant to personally receive nearly half of the agreed value of the invoices. Last month, the 57-year-old was sentenced to a minimum term of six months imprisonment.
Global Employment Trends and Work-Life Balance
00:09:18
Speaker
Two further offences were withdrawn by prosecutors when the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
00:09:25
Speaker
The US economy added 256,000 jobs in December last year, surpassing consensus expectations of around 155,000 new jobs and marking the most significant increase since March 2024.
00:09:39
Speaker
The unemployment rate unexpectedly dropped 0.1% to 4.1% highlighting the economy's resilience. In December, the surge in non-farm payrolls was primarily driven by growth of 46,000 in healthcare jobs, while social assistance in government sectors also showed significant month-on-month job growth. Retail employment made a notable comeback, rebounding by 43,000 jobs after a 29,000 decline in November, fluctuation attributed to a change in the seasonal pattern of retail hiring.
00:10:10
Speaker
Hiring managers across the Asia-Pacific region are set to take a measured approach in Quarter 1 2025, according to the latest Manpower Group Employment Outlook survey. The survey recorded a net employment outlook of 27%, slightly higher than the global results of Quarter 4 of 2024 at 25% and 3% lower compared to Quarter 1 of 2024. The survey gathered data globally, including from over 10,000 employers across seven APAC countries and territories.
00:10:40
Speaker
The net employment outlook is calculated by subtracting the percentage of employers who anticipate reductions to staffing levels from those who plan to hire. Employers in India, 40%, mainland China 29% and Singapore 25% reported the strongest outlooks in the region with Australia's result of 14% landing it in the bottom third of the 42 countries surveyed. APAC employers are especially focused on improving work-life balance with 56% nominating it as their top workforce retention strategy. And that's the news for the 27th of January, 2025. I'm Ross Clennet.
Controversial Remarks Discussion
00:11:23
Speaker
Question of the week this week is, when are the words more impactful than the message? Are you alluding to that pre-Christmas furore surrounding Stephen Carter and the infamous video that got circulated. I think we have to talk about it Ross.
00:11:47
Speaker
um For those of you who were living under a rock, ah Stephen Carter, one of the co-founders of Sharpen Carter, was videoed addressing the staff just prior to the staff Christmas party.
00:12:03
Speaker
And unfortunately, the video captured an element of Steve's speech that probably didn't paint him in a particularly flattering light. Well, this was picked up by mainstream media. Let's not beat around the bush. Ross, this was a big deal. you know yeah I mean, the news, Channel 9 or Channel 7 News picked this up and replayed the video and you know it was big news.
00:12:29
Speaker
Yeah, so I noticed the headlines, Herald Sun, I take drugs, I just don't do it at work events, CEO's Christmas party, pep talk, news dot.com.au, drug CEO's wild Christmas party admission and daily mail. Sure dropping moment, brutally honest, sharpened Carter CEO gives staff a pre-Christmas party pep talk to remember.
00:12:54
Speaker
OK, some of that slightly twisted. i I'll admit that in the context of you know the mainstream media have made that sound you know much worse probably than it is. If you haven't seen the video, please go Google search and find it and watch it for yourself. But you know it really, in my opinion, was a case of the words chosen were just really poor. Understand the message, but the words he chose We're just, there's no other way to describe them but Paul. Yes. I mean, specifically he said, I take drugs myself. I just don't do it at work events because that's when things get really out of hand. If you take drugs at the Christmas party, you will be fired. It's a really strong rule. So you can see what his intention was, probably not a great selection when it comes to words. And then he went on to say.
00:13:50
Speaker
If you want to cheat on your partner, I would recommend 2024 has been a stark reminder. It's probably not wise to cheat on your partner with someone at work. If you're going to cheat on your partner and if you have to do it.
00:14:03
Speaker
just don't do it with someone at work, it really becomes problematic as we have seen, obviously alluding to um an incident in that company that clearly the employees would well know. um So again, not a great choice of words would be,
00:14:26
Speaker
Unremarkable if no one had videoed it because yeah culturally, I suppose people just um like you're listening and then you move on. But when someone's videoed it and then even was clipped it down to the worst bits and those bits are then circulated externally, it's not a great look, is it? I think that's really unfortunate for him. And and yeah, I agree that the videoing element of this is is really sad.
00:14:54
Speaker
shows perhaps a lack of trust by employees, not sure why they would be recording the CEO delivering you know an internal message that was reasonably um informal and off the cuff. you know yeah That one really sort of surprised me and I feel bad for Stephen that that was the case and obviously he's got other things to deal with internally around that if if employees are recording internal meetings. But um But yeah, as I said, I really think it was a really poor choice of words. I think the examples he was giving, and now you you know you provide that context and it makes sense. you know Obviously, there's been something that's gone on in their business when we're talking about yeah relationships at work or sleeping with someone at work. Obviously, that's ah raw and personal for him. Something's happened there. You can understand that.
00:15:40
Speaker
But again, ah if you're hearing that for the first time, if you're a new employee, you don't know about that story. If you're an external party, if you're in the news, you know, if you're a general population and you hear somebody say that, it is does sound really odd and a a strange choice of words to to really reiterate what are standard policies in most agencies. I mean, I think I've delivered that same speech, that same message that he's sending myself as a leader in recruitment.
00:16:08
Speaker
have sat down with my staff before Christmas and just reminded them some of the policies around, you know, drugs and alcohol and um and but appropriate behaviour and all of those kind of things. So it's not an unusual message that he's delivering and and in the way he delivered it. But as I said, to kind of say things like that where, you know, if you're going to have an affair, don't have it at work. I mean, it's sort of like saying it's okay to have an affair. And I find that odd too, because I think I saw later You know, yeah there was a picture with him with his wife and he's been married for a really long time and, you know, he's in a very happy marriage and all those things. So again, it just seems odd to try and I guess he was trying to be relatable. How do you explain it, Ross?
00:16:52
Speaker
Yeah, he was trying to be relatable. He did ah finish up issuing a public statement, apologizing for his choice of words. It was a fairly lengthy statement. And I really felt for Steve. I know him a bit. He's a genuine guy. um He's one of the good guys of the recruitment industry for sure. And I just felt, my God, no, I I'd hate to have ah had a video on some of the things that I've said over the years that off the top of my head or or thoughtlessly, if they'd been replayed back to me, I'm sure I'd be cringing. And this is not um and unusual in the sense that people's words don't reflect a message. I mean, eight and a half years ago, I wrote about
00:17:42
Speaker
a story that blew up when a Sydney ad agency had a huge controversy because one of the candidates they had for interview, um and this candidate was of Sri Lankan origin, reported that the hiring manager said to, I'm not sure whether it's him or her,
00:18:01
Speaker
the client might be alarmed by having three brown-skinned people attend a meeting. And the company in its defence, the CEO basically said, Oh, look, it's a bit of a misunderstanding. The interviewer who's of the same ethnicity was attempting to just build a bit of rapport, make the candidate feel at ease. And of course, the candidate didn't feel at ease. The candidate felt like they were being sent a message that because they were, you know, brown-skinned, that it was unlikely that they'd get the job because there were other brown-skinned people in the agency who clearly had
00:18:33
Speaker
feel the brown skin quota for perhaps for that agency. And again, you kind of go, OK, I get what the person was trying to do. Like I do understand they were attempting to build rapport, but it was just so clumsy. And clearly the candidate without the context just takes it naturally at face value. Yeah.
00:18:59
Speaker
And I think that that's a really interesting case ah of a similar so you know scenario, like you said, it's where the message intended in one manner, but the words chosen um took it in another direction. And I think in an industry like we are in where we rely so heavily on communication skills, influencing skills, persuasion skills with both clients and candidates, you know, in interviews, you know, whether you're a leader delivering a message um like Steven, I mean, it's You know, the words you choose are hugely powerful and can, as in these examples, we're saying, you know, really almost override the message. The message doesn't get through in the same way as it should have because people are jarred so jarred by the words that you've chosen. Yeah. And that's true. And look, I had the experience of Greg Savage for nine years at Recruitment Solutions.
00:19:52
Speaker
And frankly, I can't think of a single instance when I felt he used clunky words like Greg is a very good example of carefully thinking about his message and carefully crafting the message. And certainly if you go to hear him speak, although he sounds like he might be talking off the cuff.
00:20:14
Speaker
ah He scripts everything, like he literally writes out every word. And certainly in my experience with his internal communication, he pretty much did that as well, because he did not want to leave anything to chance. He didn't want the potential for misunderstanding. I mean, I'm sure from time to time there might have been, but certainly in my experience, listening to Greg, you knew that he was choosing his words carefully and they were deliberate words, not um accidental words.
00:20:44
Speaker
And so is that our takeaway from this, our learning from Paul Stevens' example, ah but potentially with ah such an important sort of address like that, where you're sending a message, you're having a conversation with all of your staff about what was an important message. He was trying to make sure that he was mitigating any issues that might occur at a Christmas party where there's alcohol and all all the you know other things that go with it. But um you know should those sorts of things perhaps be a little scripted, you know, maybe not word for word, but really sit down and think about what you want to say before you just off the cuff, get up and say it. Yeah. I mean, yes, think about yeah the point or the points you want to make and exactly how you're going to make those points and think
00:21:31
Speaker
If someone was recording it, would I be a little fearful about that recording because I'd be a little um concerned about some of the words that I used and the potential for an interpretation put on those words that I don't intend. Now, of course, you can't stop someone editing something in a way that could take it completely out of context.
00:21:58
Speaker
But I think by and large, you've got to be thinking, well, if the whole video came out, would I be vindicated in the sense that, you know, it was clear the context of the words. And as much as we might think, ah ah we shouldn't have to be that concerned or that cautious or that conservative. I think in this day and age, yes, the reality is you probably do need to be. Yeah, I agree with that. I think that's some good advice to think about, you know, semi-scripting things.
00:22:25
Speaker
um Thinking about whether, if it was recorded, would I be comfortable with what I'd said being watched by others out of context or otherwise? um And yeah, maybe having a look at your staff. Someone's feeling the need to record what you are saying. I guess it's a bit of a trust issue as well. Culturally, there's a bit of an issue there as well. But certainly the recruitment industry, all the comments I saw about what Steve had said were supportive of Steve, basically saying.
00:22:52
Speaker
Like I get what you're attempting to do. And yes, it was perhaps a clumsy choice of words. So I don't personally, I don't think Steve has suffered any reputational damage in our industry. And anyone who knows him, I think would know the quality of the person that he is. It's just unfortunate that people that will never have met him and never will meet him will make a judgment simply based on those new stories.
00:23:17
Speaker
Well hey, you won't be forgotten in the industry, that's for sure. That's for sure, yes.