Kiwis see temp work as great stepping stone

Kiwis see temp work as great stepping stone

• Jobseeker confidence & mobility remains high in Q2
• Rise of technology, opportunity or threat?
• Global comparisons across 33 countries worldwide

Auckland, 9 July 2014 - New Zealand workers believe temporary work is the best path to securing a permanent role, with 80% of employees viewing temporary work as a stepping stone to a full-time job, according to recruitment and HR services specialists, Randstad.

With recent Statistics New Zealand reports stating 40% of employed youth are in part-time work, temporary work is becoming an increasingly important driver to landing a permanent position.

Does your first job determine the rest of your career?
Not necessarily. According to the latest Randstad Workmonitor report, more than three quarters (79%) of New Zealand employees believe a person’s first job does not determine the rest of their career. This is much higher than the 56% of employees globally that do not believe their first job impacts heavily on their career choice.

Paul Robinson, Director Randstad New Zealand, says temporary work can be a great launching pad for people who want to work, while gaining valuable knowledge, skills and experience that will help land a more ideally suited, permanent role. This is especially the case for students who have completed NCEA, post-graduate studies or another form of education.

“Undertaking a temporary or contract position demonstrates commitment, a willingness to work, and an aptitude to learn. It doesn’t matter whether the role is in the industry in which you want to establish your career, rather it’s the experience and transferrable skills you learn that will have a lasting impact,” explains Robinson.

However, it’s not just graduates who see temporary work as an important stepping stone to a permanent position. Kiwi workers feel temporary work is for all ages and more than half (51%) believe you can switch jobs at any time.

“This is positive news for those who have been retrenched, are considering a career change or using it as a stop-gap when re-entering the workforce.

“With the labour market in a state of flux and many of the more established industries hiring on a business responsive basis, temporary jobs can provide the perfect launch pad for people, whether they are 16 or 65,” adds Robinson.

Rise of technology, opportunity or threat?
New Zealand employees believe improvements in technology will impact their roles in coming years, with 13% expecting their job to disappear because of technological advancements.

Randstad’s Robinson says it’s inevitable that, with the rise of technology and streamlining of operations, further positions will become redundant moving forward. “Whilst many colleagues will benefit from these advancements, employees who find themselves out of work should view it as an opportunity to up-skill or learn new talents and find suitable, alternate roles.

“It is undeniable that temporary positions are an excellent foot in the door and, for those struggling to pick up permanent work, it’s an important avenue to launch or re-launch their career,” says Robinson.

Jobseeker confidence & mobility rises
The latest Randstad Mobility Index, which reveals jobseeker confidence each quarter, has remained steady on 101 in Q2 2014.

The number of people looking for a new job over the last quarter has decreased slightly, with 7% of respondents citing they are actively looking for a new role.

The portion of New Zealand workers who say job loss is a significant fear has remained low at just 4%.

Confidence in finding a comparable job within six months has continued to trend upwards – the figure increased by eight percentage points to 75%.

“As expected, with the unemployment rate holding steady at 6% for the last two quarters, as well as surging job creation, jobseeker confidence is continuing to grow this year,” says Robinson.

“Looking ahead to Q3 & Q4, what we want to see is the positive trend continuing, with strengthening business confidence as organisations choose to hire more temporary, permanent, part-time or full-time employees. To complement this, organisations need to focus on authentic investment in their current employees, to maintain morale, productivity, performance and a strong sense of culture.”

Global statistics: a worldwide comparison
• In Turkey, China and India, 74% up to 82% of employees state the first job has a high impact on the rest of their career
• Denmark (84%), China (83%) and Brazil (82%) are at the higher end of employees around the world who see temporary work as a stepping stone to a permanent job
• According to 71% of the employees worldwide, technology has a large impact on their job, but they see this as an opportunity (73%), especially in Latin America (87%).
• In Argentina, almost all employees (95%) see the impact of technology as a positive development. In Japan (49%), Belgium (54%) and Austria (58%) employees are less optimistic about it.
• In North-Western Europe, employees experience less impact from technology on their jobs (61%) and 82% do not expect their job will disappear due to the rise of technology.
• In India, 59% do expect their job will disappear in a couple of years due to the rise of technology, and women believe this more strongly than men (72% female vs. 48% male).
• Overall most employees would use a staffing agency to find a new job if they were unemployed (global average 69%).

The quarterly Randstad Workmonitor
The Randstad Workmonitor & Mobility Index is published quarterly, covering 33 countries around the world, making both local and global trends in jobseeker confidence and mobility visible over time.

The quantitative study is conducted via an online questionnaire among a population aged 18-65, working a minimum of 24 hours a week in a paid job (not self-employed). The minimal sample size is 400 interviews per country, using Survey Sampling International. Research for the 2nd wave in 2014 was conducted April 16-May 6, 2014.

About Randstad
Randstad is one of the world’s leading recruitment & HR services specialists, passionate about matching people with organisations that will develop their potential and matching organisations with people that will take their business to the next level. The Randstad Group employs over 500,000 people every day with the aim of 'shaping the world of work'. For further information visit www.randstad.co.nz.

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