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Market update
At Six Degrees we still feel positive about the market and current economic climate. Australia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 5.7 percent in March.
The lowest unemployment rate since September 2013.
Although the outlook is positive many of our clients are still realising the significant and constant shifts they have to make to maintain competitive advantage.
Large organisations, particularly in FMCG, have moved to global structures in order to realise cost savings. Some brands are being run out of international networks, driven through regional operations and then localised into the Australian market. The implication of this is a decreased demand for marketing directors in Australia and increased demand for executional talent, this has softened the salaries at the top end and meant we have noticed many senior marketers pursuing options outside of FMCG.
CEOs and COOs are consolidating manufacturing sites, this requires factories to run more efficiently. Finding ways to take cost out of the manufacturing process, finding more room in the supply chain, or introducing further automation is key in this market.
There are fewer sites trying to do more.
In operations there is demand for tertiary qualified talent who can lead people through change, understand lean manufacturing and know how to automate. We have noticed an increase in the salary of savvy site managers of up to 15%.
Another ongoing trend is an increased investment in extra heads to drive category growth through category and shopper marketers, over traditional brand managers. We have found savvy national account managers moving into these roles as well as analysts or those with a finance or agency background. These category managers need to be customer facing and have the ability to create an argument. Five years ago, a sales director would not have considered category in their career plan. Now you are unlikely to hold that position without category experience.
Six Degrees News
In Six Degrees news we were very excited to win awards in two categories at the Recruitment Industry Awards last week; Best Company to Work For and Best Support Team. Our mantra has always been to provide a high quality service and I am very grateful that this has resulted in strong and long-standing partnerships with many clients and a network of talent that we have the privilege to support through their career journey.
Off the back of a very strong start to the year, our team continues to grow nationally. We welcome James Shaw to the Executive Search Division in Melbourne. James brings 15 years of international executive search experience. Terrence Craig has joined us with extensive recruitment experience across industrial B2B and service industries. Due to the high demand for digital talent, James Ferne joins the digital team as a Talent Engagement Specialist. Michelle Young joins our Not-for-Profit team where she brings extensive experience in telecommunications, retail and social enterprise sectors. In Sydney, Michael Smargiassi joins the team from industry, where he worked as a Distribution Centre Manager for Asahi Beverages.
This is an exciting time for Six Degrees. As we continue to grow and innovate, we will remain true to our core purpose of unearthing talent that is capable of shaping the future of the businesses we partner with.
If you would like the opportunity to contribute to our newsletter, please contact Lorrie Storey.
Paul Hallam
CEO, Six Degrees Executive
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