Just recently, Aquent released the 2010 Market Eye survey, a snapshot of hiring intentions and salary predictions for the marketing and design industries across Australia and New Zealand.

In encouraging news, the survey – which includes responses from 496 employers across Aquent markets in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Auckland – suggests the recovery across the design and marketing sectors in Australia and New Zealand is well underway following a challenging 2009.

While hesitancy lingers – particularly with regards to the use of freelance staff – our Market Eye survey found the permanent hiring freeze initiated in 2009 is now thawing. Nearly 50 per cent of employers across Australia and New Zealand have added additional headcount over the past six months, while close to 55 per cent of employers expect to add additional permanent headcount in the coming six months.

In what will please many creatives angling for a pay increase, our survey results indicate salaries are on the rise after a period of stagnation. Close to 55 per cent of employers have increased salaries over the past six months, indicating that business confidence is building to the extent that employers are willing to invest further in their permanent staff.

Our Regional Director for Australia and New Zealand – Simon Lusty – said the Market Eye survey points towards the design and marketing sectors in rebuild mode following the widespread cuts of 2009.

“The employment market has bounced back in 2010,” he says. “Following the catastrophic decline in hiring intentions throughout 2009, widespread staff redundancies and general panic as employers struggled to ride the economic downturn, it is pleasing to see that the design and marketing sectors are again hiring.”

‘While a degree of hesitancy remains, employers are feeling more upbeat about the future and this is translating to a more buoyant hiring market.”

The Market Eye survey also found that staff retention strategies remain a hot discussion point. Flexible work practices remain the number one retention strategy as reported by both employers and employees. By extension, employees are now placing more importance on additional leave entitlements as opposed to discretionary bonuses, while the latter remain more important in employers’ minds.

Creatives can quite rightly feel optimistic as we head into the ‘business end’ of 2010. The harsh lessons learned by many employers throughout 2009 are now seeing leaner, meaner teams emerge, ones that are doing ‘more with less’ but still achieving great results.

Finding that elusive position is still tough, however. There is fierce competition for advertised positions around Australia and, as always, only the very best will continue climbing that ladder to career success. Make sure you’re prepared for the increased opportunities the coming months will present!

Image Copyright Jill Tovey