AS businesses prepare for an economic downturn, bosses need to focus on long-term viability and not “quick fixes”, according to psychological testing firm SHL.
Director of professional services Ray Glennon said employers now need to focus on long-term human resources development.“When organisations are facing a period of decline, it can be easy to think short term and cut costs wherever possible, often from talent management programs, training and recruitment budgets,” Dr Glennon said.

Dr Glennon said the top three mistakes employers can make as the economy slows down are:
1) Ceasing training and development programs
2) Failing to recognise talent links directly to performance
3) Forgetting that the economy moves in cycles
 Article from news.com.au
 

Logic Recruitment says:
 

The Government may be trying to curb inflation, but Australian workers want pay rises this year and if they don’t get them, employers risk losing their staff.

A CareerOne.com.au survey of 1168 people has revealed that 68.3 per cent of employees expect a salary raise this financial year, despite the fact the Government is encouraging employers to hold back on wage increases in an effort to curb inflation.
More disturbingly for employers, the survey results indicated a third of those expecting a pay rise said they would “look for another job” if their request was turned down.

It makes for a confusing time!  If the Government want employers to hold back on wage increase how do they expect them to retain staff with the cost of living increasing?
Now I come from the rule of thumb that I am not interested in staff working with me that are there for the dollars as what is to stop them from moving for the next $5 per hour somewhere else.

I want staff that is loyal to the business not just due to being paid well but due to actually enjoying what they do and the environment they do it in.  This has proved time and time again to provide a more efficient and therefore more profitable workplace.
However I am not naive, if a staff member can’t afford to meet their living costs then they are going to move on regardless of how much they enjoy working.
So what’s the answer?

Logic have been very busy with lots of new and exciting changes!
 

Logic Recruitment are now able to provide clients with permanent, short, and long term contract and consultancy services. We specialize in engineering, construction, finance industries, and are always on the look out for new challenges.
 

We would also like to announce that Amanda Mouttet has officially joined Logic Recruitment as the new Recruitment Administrator. With over 8 years previous administrative experience Amanda is a fantastic addition to our team and we are thrilled to have her on board.
 

Alex Smith has now become Business Development Consultant. Alex will be in charge of bringing in new business and will be the first point of contact for clients, and the public face of Logic Recruitment. So if your business is after some recruitment needs contact Alex and he will be more than happy to arrange a time to come and see you.
 

We also have several new additions to the team joining us in the near future, its safe to say that Logic Recruitment are definitely growing.
 

Branding in corporate events.
 

Team Logic have had their colours out  in full force several times in the first few months of 2008 and more recently down in Busselton for the Half Ironman. Which bring us to the issue of corporate branding in sporting events. We want to gauge your awareness and opinion on this marketing strategy. How aware are you of corporate branding, and do you think it works?
Team Logics experience is definitely a positive one with many people approaching both competitors and support crew during and after the events. However while there has been plenty of initial interest and general conversation regarding Logic Recruitment and its services, how can one quantify the results of corporate branding? More importantly how can corporate branding be further reinforced to generate interest from both clients and candidates?

We are putting it out to those who read this blog. We would like to hear from you, any ideas on what we can do to make our Team Logic crew stand out?
       

Specialist teams to fast-track the visas of skilled workers and an accreditation system for employers who regularly hire overseas labour are the main recommendations of an independent committee set up to tackle Australia’s skills crisis.

As the Government promised last week to implement 14 of the industry group’s 16 recommendations, it emerged that almost half of all skilled-migration visas are taking too long to process, because of a 17 per cent spike in applications.

The review’s release will be followed by a paper from labour market consultant Bob Kinnaird, who claims that almost one worker in five under the program is being paid below the average annual salary of $50,000.

Immigration Minister Chris Evans said his department would establish dedicated centres of excellence in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth - the principal destinations for 457 visa workers - aimed at expediting skilled visa applications.In one recommendation not endorsed by Senator Evans, the review found the program was not suitable for addressing the general labour shortage and recommended the Government set up pilot schemes to alleviate the problem.

Senator Evans agreed to consider a recommendation that the 457 visa be renamed the “temporary skilled migration” visa to improve market recognition. The 457 visa program has become the main tool used to combat what the Government, the Opposition and industry agree is a skills crisis.Last year, 46,680 primary 457 visas were issued. Health and IT workers were among the most sought after professionals. The report was conducted by former chair of Xstrata and the Minerals Council Peter Coates, deputy chief executive of the Business Council of Australia Melinda Cilento and former chief executive of the WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy Tim Shanahan.

Its release came as Senator Evans told a Senate estimates committee that 5795 skilled migrant visas had not been processed within the required time of two to three months - just under half of the 12,340 applications now in the queue. Staff would be working overtime to clear the backlog, he said.Opposition immigration spokesman Chris Ellison slammed the delays.  “This report also confirms that business is experiencing significant delays in having their visas processed, with 37 per cent of low-risk onshore visa applications taking longer than eight weeks to be finalised,” he said. An accreditation system for employers who used the system regularly and were deemed “low-risk”, and the development of a long-term program that addressed structural trends in the labour market, were among other recommendations.

Author: Paul Maley – The Australian May 6 2008
 Logic Recruitment’s thoughts

It seems that the Ministers should stop worrying about the name of this visa and start concerning themselves with real strategies to reduce the time frame assessing applications.A number of Logic Recruitment’s clients are in a position of needing to recruit from overseas’s sources and the Visa 457 is the most practical way of assisting that process. 

The required time of 2-3 months (which seems to be steadily increasing) for assessment is making it extremely tough for companies to plan ahead and rely on the incoming resources to their businesses.Companies cannot rely on the ‘unknown’ to get the job done.  When will the Government wake up to that fact and get these processing times under control?We would love to hear your thoughts, experiences in relation to employing Skilled Workers from overseas.