New Zealand has powered out of last year’s downturn in a stronger position than anyone could have anticipated back in mid-2020. Today, employment growth is positive. In fact, over three-quarters (76%) of employers say permanent staffing levels are either above or equal to their pre-COVID-19 point.

You may be expecting a salary increase in your next review, but achieving what you think you’re worth is not always possible. While organisations are returning to growth 68% of employers have returned to growth or rapid growth, salary budgets remain tight.

Over the past 12 months, a lot of soft skill conversations have focused on the importance of adaptably. However, today another soft skill has come to the fore. Our newly released Hays Salary Guide FY21/22 shows that teamwork is the number one soft skill employers value in employees right now.

If 2020 was about career preservation, now is a great time for career revitalisation. 2020 is the year many job candidates were happy to forget. However, as our new Hays Salary Guide FY21/22 shows, we have turned a corner and job vacancies are on the rise. In welcome news, employers are becoming increasingly optimistic.

To protect engagement and turnover, our advice is to communicate sensitively with employees about salary increases. More so than ever, when budgets are tight it’s critical to carefully manage salary expectations as part of your retention and engagement strategy. Here we present our advice on how to approach the salary expectation gap.

Our newly released Hays Salary Guide FY21/22 shows that small salary increments are on the horizon for many skilled professionals this year, but not all New Zealanders will receive equal salary rewards. This year, our salary guide paints a picture of a widening salary expectation gap between employers and employees.

If you work in or with the IT industry, chances are fair you’ve heard others use the terms ‘Software Engineer’ and ‘Software Developer’ interchangeably. Sometimes, it’s a non-issue. Other times, it’s problematic. We recently sponsored the YOW! Conference and surveyed members of the software community for their views on the terms ‘Software Engineer’ and ‘Software Developer’.

Since early 2020, we’ve all experienced or witnessed considerable change in the world of work, leading many careers to take unexpected twists and turns. In some instances, this has made it harder for professionals to feel as though they can effectively plan their careers in a way that they might have done pre-pandemic. Hear from Eliza Kirkby, Regional Director at Hays Australia, as she...

The long-term impact of the pandemic on our work life is an enduring conversation. Right now, however, it’s clear that employers’ expectations of executive assistants (EAs) and personal assistants (PAs) are changing. Here, we look at how executive assistant roles are changing and the implications that EAs and PAs should be aware of to continue to succeed and thrive in their chosen career.

The challenges of the pandemic have forced many businesses to adopt an innovative mindset in order to adapt to new demands in record time. And while many of us look forward to the world returning to what will be the new normal, this way of thinking is something that many organisations will want to hold on to.

One of the lasting legacies of COVID-19 will be the unprecedented experience of young people who looked for, or started, their very first job during this pandemic. The ‘lockdown generation’ of school and university leavers will enter the world of work in a very different way to those that are training or supporting them. What role can employers play in helping the next generation take the first...

After a challenging 2020, many people are contemplating what their career will look like in 2021. So, if you are actively looking to find a new job, or casually keeping an eye on the jobs market, you probably have questions about job searching in 2021. We have answers too.

When it comes time to write or update your CV, it’s natural that you will have questions. Even the most experienced professional can worry about potentially making a mistake that could cost you an interview. So, to help you prepare a winning CV, we’ve provided our answers to the most frequently asked questions we receive about CVs.

Cybersecurity breaches continue to make global headlines. Malicious cyber activity has proliferated, and attacks have become ever-more sophisticated. As organisations have sought to increase their ability to protect, detect, and respond to cyberattacks, there has been a sustained need for cyber professionals, with demand often outstripping supply.

Data suggests that women have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic in terms of redundancy and the amount of time they are committing to domestic and educational responsibilities. But there are also some emerging employment trends that could open up new and exciting opportunities for women. The pandemic has caused many employers to challenge their assumptions about work and...

2020 has been an unprecedented year for technology. The disruption caused by COVID-19 quickly forced organisations to reprioritise their technology objectives and strategies overnight to enable them to operate in a newly remote environment. But it isn’t just how and where employees work that has drastically altered. In the space of just a few short months there have also been huge changes in...

During COVID-19 Australia’s workforce navigated enormous challenges and went above and beyond to help their employer respond to the crisis and chart their way through recovery and back to growth. Yet at the same time, many organisations cut rewards and recognition, leaving a lot of people feeling overworked and disengaged, ready to jump ship as soon as they can in 2021. After all, 2020...

  Research indicates that temp workers suffer from adverse mental health for a variety of reasons, many of them due to the working patterns and job insecurity inherent to temp work.   As a temp worker, you may sometimes feel disposable or replaceable, as a result of inconsistent and irregular work, which can impact negatively on your mental health.   Temps can...

“What is Area 51?”, “How to eat pineapple”, “How to floss dance”. These are just three of the most searched for questions and phrases of 2019. In fact, every second of every day, we ask Google over 40,000 of these factual, monotonous, fun, interesting, and, quite frankly, bizarre questions, making it the most visited site on the planet by far.   It’ll be no surprise either that...

Whether it’s just for the evening, the weekend or you’re taking a well-deserved break on holiday, it can be hard to stop the never-ending to-do list whizzing through your mind. If you find it hard to relax and let go of work when you leave the office, you’re not on your own. We’re ever more connected these days and with the ability to check email from anywhere and the temptation to remotely...