RCSA expands its connections - Chinese recruiters learn of on-hire success

The decline in permanent-based work and the growing number of on-hired workers in Australia gave Chinese recruiters who flew in to Melbourne last week some food for thought at a morning tea hosted by the Recruitment and Consulting Services Association (RCSA).

The RCSA extended its international ties to discuss and compare the recruitment industry and employment trends with that of Chinaís Shanghai Foreign Services Co. (SFSC) and found that while on-hire employment is on the rise in Australia, Chinese job seekers remain hostile to the idea.

ìIn China, people are not willing to be temporary, there are more people in permanent jobs as these are seen to be more stable,î Senior Consultant of the SFSC, Oliver Wang, said.

In contrast, nearly every major business in Australia has at least one to two on-hired workers and in places like banks, 80 per cent of the workforce is made up of on-hired employees placed by a recruitment agency.

CEO of the RCSA, Julie Mills said the current labour and skills shortage in Australia is a large part of the reason why the on-hire recruitment industry is thriving.

ìBecause of the skills shortage, recruiters usually always have a job for people to move into.

ìIn Australia, people in temporary positions do not see themselves as temporary and it is not seen as though you are losing your job.

ìYou would spend three months in one job and will be immediately placed in another for the next three months.

ìIn-fact every recruitment company in Australia is sourcing the world for candidates; it is very unlikely here that people will be out of a job,î she said.

The other major difference we share with China is the emphasis placed around workplace safety issues.

ìUnlike Australia, if a worker is in injured in China, it is the governmentís responsibility,î Ms Mills said.
ìOne of our biggest differences is the need for employers to take responsibility for workplace safety, hence the big move over the past two years in this country to encourage preparedness, pre-work inductions and proper safety requirements before people are place in to jobs,î she said.

The RCSA also discussed future plans to provide online training courses to consultants in Mandarin to cater for foreign- speaking individuals.