From a macro-level perspective, high global unemployment levels have become mainstay and are looking likely to be the norm for the foreseeable future. What seems more worrying still is that youth unemployment (those aged between 15 and 24) is typically double that of national unemployment averages (15 to 64 year olds) in virtually all developed nations. Even given predicted demographics that indicate by 2050 younger generations will have halved in terms of population numbers (which also comes wi...

Yesterday I attended my first #SMCAKL - the monthly event organised by the Social Media Club in Auckland. It's been on my "to go" list for a long time and so it was apt that my first one was pertinent to my job - social media for recruitment. With over 170 registered to attend, the topic of recruitment was appealling. It promised better attendance than most events organised by the recruitment industry, for the recruitment industry!I wasn't sure what to expect, as I knew most of the panellists. I...

The Dominion Post spoke to me earlier this year about the rise of social media activities amongst employers. Here is the article reproduced courtesy of The Dominion Post (I personally would have titled it "Social Media Marketing Pays Dividends"...). New Zealand companies are increasingly interacting on social media to jostle for in-demand candidates, says Madison Recruitment’s Shereen Low.Madison’s latest trends report shows there’s more awareness around social media activities and use of these ...

Social media is no longer just an emerging trend and is accepted as part of our world. Facebook alone has over 800 million users. Will social media turn our business world upside down and change the way business is done? Perhaps looking back to the emergence of the "world wide web" (as it was called) will help answer the question. With the emergence of Web 1.0, instant accessible global communication and information was upon us. Market commentators, manufacturers and retailers were either rubbin...

As is typical of this time of year, we are seeing significant increases in both candidate application numbers and client recruitment activity.  Many employees tend to review their options at this time of year after they have had time to reflect on their career path over the summer holidays.Salary levels continue to be a key determinant in both recruitment and retention of those with business-critical skill sets (with more modest pressure applying to support roles). Employees are looking to ...

Typically at this time of year we see the last flurry of client recruitment activity prior to the summer Christmas break.  This is predominantly being seen in the private sector as many public sector organisations are still under cost containment pressures resulting in more strategic stakeholder analysis over spending and workforce planning. We predict this trend will continue at current or even greater degrees throughout 2012, especially now that the National Party have another three year ...