Project & Change Job Seekers Receiving 10% Response Rate In Roles Applied For

The project services hiring market is slowing down within different industries across New Zealand. A recent whitepaper Talent has released, details the latest trends in project management as well as the skills and experience needed to keep businesses’ projects on track.

The whitepaper features in-demand project skills, salary trends, challenges currently being faced in the project services hiring market, and trends and predictions for key project positions in 2024. It also features insights from Talent’s recruitment experts’ team.

Key findings include:

• Reduction of Project Practitioners, especially in local government, as part of an overarching strategy of reducing contract labour spend.
• The banking industry has reduced Project Mangers by 8%.
• Competition for senior roles in Project & Change has increased across all industries with applicants getting a response to less than 10% of roles applied for.
• The hiring market is correcting salaries post-the boom experienced over the last few years.
• It’s estimated that by 2025, AI will power 95% of customer interactions.

Skills in highest demand are:

• Data
• Cybersecurity
• AI
• Automation
• Emotional intelligence
• Communication
• Change management skills

Predictions for 2024 and beyond:

• AI will grow in uptake
• Hybrid project methodologies are gaining traction
• Greater focus on cybersecurity projects
• Greater use of data & data analysis to improve project performance & drive efficiencies

Insights from the Talent team include:

Kara Smith, Talent NZ Country Manager noted, “The impact of changes in the public sector are still reverberating through organisations and until it’s clear when that will stabilise and which projects will receive investment, the NZ hiring landscape in project services will continue to be slow". However, she cautions that conservatism when it comes to hiring can’t last long “Just like we saw post-COVID, businesses can only halt projects, investments, and initiatives for so long. In a world where cybersecurity is a top priority, for example, investing in tech teams is a worthwhile long-term strategy.”

Nik King-Turner, Talent Wellington Managing Director said, “Coming off a candidate-driven market over the last 18-24 months, where there was significant choice and opportunity for jobseekers, we are now seeing a swing to a lower volume of roles and more applications. The economy and cost of living have also contributed to a low level of confidence in the hiring market.”

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