Project management skills in demand
One in three employers are looking to increase permanent staff levels, according to global recruitment solutions firm Hudson. Project management skills are in demand as employers seek candidates with business acumen, a cross-functional knowledge and an ability to contribute to the organisation’s overall strategic direction across all sectors.
Hudson’s recent Salary and Employment Insights 2012 report found that key business functions, including IT and finance, are becoming a key driver of business performance, a perfect fit for project managers’ skills.
Additionally, the report found that close to seven in 10 employees are looking for new roles in 2012 and a corresponding two-thirds of employers fear they will lose their top performers this year. Salary expectations are also a growing source of tension between businesses and employees.
“Facing the tension of trying to do more with less is especially difficult when salary is the top driver for 36% of employees, with many believing that it will be ‘easy’ or ‘very easy’ to find a similar job with comparable pay and conditions,” said Mark Steyn, CEO of Hudson Asia Pacific.
“Employers are under pressure to simultaneously improve the quality of their hires and control the cost of these hires—they need valuable employees to take the business forward, but not at any cost.”
Steyn advised businesses to look beyond technical qualifications and experience and measure motivational and behavioural attributes, which are more accurate indicators of performance. This would enable businesses to see the true value of each hire, he said.
“In order for managers to cope with the increasing salary pressure being placed on them, they need to understand the difference between ‘cost’ and ‘value’ when choosing their teams and allocating their salaries.”
He added: “Salary is important, but it’s not everything. Sometimes overpaying can be as risky as underpaying—no organisation wants to be represented by employees who are driven solely by salary.”
