Archived News 2004

19 November 2004

IT Workers Among Australia’s Most Insecure

The IT industry may be on the rebound, but 28 per cent of workers in the IT sector feel less secure in their jobs than they did 12 months ago, according to the latest intelligence report by employment market expert SEEK.

In addition to their insecurities, IT workers are also relatively unhappy compared to employees in other sectors. Fifty-two per cent of the IT workers who were surveyed said they were unhappy in their jobs, compared to an average of 45.2 per cent across all professions.

The second annual SEEK Survey of Employee Satisfaction and Motivation in Australia, collected responses from over 6,000 participants about how they view their work. Specific to the IT industry, responses from over 1,000 participants were collected.

According to SEEK CEO Paul Bassat, the contractual nature of the IT industry plays a critical role in influencing job satisfaction and security.

“This begs the question as to why IT workers’ job related security has not rebounded in line with their industry? I suspect it is because approximately one quarter of IT positions are contractual, coupled with lingering effects from the dot com crash”, Paul Bassat said.

Further to this when asked to specify their level of agreement or disagreement with the statement ‘management inspires trust’, 70 per cent of IT workers disagreed compared to the national average of 62 per cent.

Seventy-one per cent of IT workers also disagreed with the statement ‘management is open and honest with employees’, giving them even more reason to feel insecure and unhappy about their jobs. The national average was 64 per cent.

“The findings of the survey should serve as a wake up call for managers. Managers need to take a look at themselves and reassess their skills, especially in the area of building relationships based on trust with their employees”, he said.

“Furthermore, at this time of year when people are reassessing their jobs and careers, it is important that they take the time to discuss contracts and opportunities with individual workers.

“Talking about the renewal of contracts ahead of time benefits both the company and worker and ensures that everyone’s expectations are on the same level”, said Paul Bassat.

Further information and comment is available

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19 November 2004

Hospitality Workers the Most Job Secure in Australia

Australian hospitality workers are the most job-secure in the country according to the latest intelligence report by employment market expert SEEK. The report found that 31 per cent of hospitality workers surveyed felt more secure about their job than they did twelve months ago compared with 20.8 per cent across all professions.

The second annual SEEK Survey of Employee Satisfaction and Motivation in Australia, collected responses from over 6,000 participants about how they view their work. Specific to the hospitality industry, responses from 470 participants were collected.

According to SEEK CEO Paul Bassat, the high level of job security within the hospitality industry comes in spite of the work force being largely part time.

“The reality of the industry is one where there is a need to be able to schedule hours of work to coincide with patterns of demand. A large proportion of the hospitality work force is currently part time and it is estimated that by the year 2005, 45 per cent of hospitality workers will be employed in part time positions.

“The survey found a number of factors that are contributing to the heightened job security amongst hospitality workers. When asked to specify their level of agreement or disagreement with the statement ‘management inspires trust’, 46 per cent of hospitality workers agreed compared to the national average across all professions of 38 per cent”, said Paul Bassat.

“Likewise, 39 per cent of hospitality workers say that their managers are open and honest with them compared to the average across all professions of 36 percent, further contributing to their increased feeling of job security.

“Although managers in the hospitality industry are rating better than their counterparts in other industries, they cannot be complacent. They need to continue building relationships based on trust with their employees”, he said.

Further information and comment is available

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19 November 2004

NSW Health Workers Resilient Through Upheaval

Despite reports of continuing turmoil in the NSW health system over the past year, NSW health workers are happier at work than their colleagues in Queensland and Victoria and compared to workers in other industries, according to the latest intelligence report by employment market expert SEEK.

When asked how they felt about their current job, 38 per cent of NSW health workers said they were happy. North of the border only 28 per cent of Queensland health workers said they were happy in their current jobs. Victorian health workers sit in between with happy workers coming in at 31 per cent.

However, the survey also found that healthcare workers in general are happier at work and feel more secure in their jobs than workers across all industry sectors. Nationally, thirty-four per cent of healthcare workers are happy in their current job and 22 per cent reported that their job is more secure than it was 12 months ago. The average figures across Australia were 29.1 per cent and 20.8 per cent respectively for all workers.

The second annual SEEK Survey of Employee Satisfaction and Motivation in Australia collected responses from over 6,000 participants about how they view their work. Specific to the healthcare sector, responses were collected from almost 350 participants.

According to SEEK CEO Paul Bassat, the results of the survey stand in the face of common perceptions about healthcare workers.

“Healthcare workers are often perceived to be unhappy in their work due to the high levels of stress and comparatively low wages. However, our survey illustrates that relatively high numbers of workers in the healthcare profession are happy in their jobs compared to other industries.

“Despite their relative happiness, however, healthcare workers are still not thrilled with their managers. When asked to specify their level of agreement or disagreement with the statement ‘management inspires trust’, 54 per cent of healthcare workers disagreed. This is below the national average of 62 per cent but still represents more than half the workers in the industry”, he said.

“Similarly, when asked to specify their level of agreement or disagreement with the statement ‘management is open and honest with employees’, 59 per cent of healthcare workers disagreed.

“In light of the survey findings managers can’t afford to be complacent. The healthcare industry is facing a shortage of workers so managers need to improve their skills and develop relationships with their employees that are based on trust in order to retain their quality workers”, said Paul Bassat.

Further information and comment is available

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27 October 2004

NSW Consultants are Australia’s Happiest Workers

Consultants in NSW are the happiest group of workers in Australia according to the latest intelligence report by employment market expert SEEK. Forty-six per cent of NSW consultants reported that they were happy or very happy with their current job, way ahead of the average for NSW workers across all sectors of 28 per cent and the national average of 29.1 per cent.

However, on a State by State basis, WA earned the title of the happiest workers with 34 per cent saying that they are either happy or very happy in their jobs. Tasmania came in last place with only 25 per cent of workers reporting that they are either happy or very happy at work.

NSW also fared well on questions related to job security, with 21 per cent of workers saying that their job is more secure than it was 12 months ago. This figure is almost on par with the average across all Australian States which was 20.8 per cent.

The second annual SEEK Survey of Employee Satisfaction and Motivation in Australia, collected responses from over 6,000 participants about how they view their work. According to SEEK CEO Paul Bassat, while Australian workers are generally feeling more positive than they were last year, a lack of confidence in their managers continues to be a significant problem.

“The survey found that regardless of where they live it is not poor pay, working hours or stress that is the pet hate of working Australians, but quality of management.

“In particular, a lack of trust in management is endemic in Australian workplaces. Across all industry sectors, 63 per cent of employees say that management at their organisations do not inspire trust, and 64 per cent believe that management is not open and honest with employees”, he said.

When asked if there is anything they hate about their current job, ‘quality of management’ was nominated by 53.7 per cent of survey respondents, followed by stress levels (47.1 per cent) and (a lack of) ‘feedback and appreciation’ (40 per cent).

Quality of management also ranked as the most important factor people consider when looking for a new job, ahead of salary, and then variety and content of work.

“This survey should serve as a fairly significant wake up call to employers. If you’re a manager, the odds are that many of your employees dislike working for you, they don’t trust a lot of what you say and they have plenty of job opportunities available to them elsewhere”, said Paul Bassat.

“This is a critical issue for organisations because staff retention and satisfaction has become an increasingly important competitive advantage for them.

“We are in the middle of a buoyant jobs market and I anticipate that many organisations will see a higher than normal level of turnover early next year. People tend to spend time over Christmas assessing where they are headed and with more options available for skilled workers it’s easier than ever to make a change.

“As quality of management is the factor employees are most interested in regarding their work, managers must also realise that throwing more money around will not in itself encourage employees to stay. Managers who want to keep their staff motivated and attract high performers would be better off focusing on lifting their own performance.

“According to our research, the three things managers most need to improve is following up their words with action, communicating openly and honestly and better supporting their team,” he said.

Another surprising finding from the survey was that working hours are not as big an issue for employees as many of us believe. Working hours were ranked as only the 11 th most important factor when looking for a job, and 38.9 per cent of survey respondents actually said that they loved their current working hours.

The 2004 survey also highlighted the growing importance that people are placing on their personal relationships with co-workers.

“Relationships with co-workers have strengthened over the past year. An impressive 62.5 per cent of the people we surveyed said that they love the people they work with, way up on last year’s figure of 54 per cent.

“Australian workers might be skeptical of what’s happening at the senior levels of their organisations, but it seems that they mostly enjoy being part of their team”, he said.

Further information and comment is available.

Tables containing key survey data are available from www.aapmedianet.com.au or by contacting Anne Wickham. To arrange an interview with Paul Bassat please contact:

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27 October 2004

68 per cent of QLD Public Servants Unhappy at Work

In a surprising result, teachers and scientists have been unveiled as the happiest employees in Victoria according to the latest intelligence report by employment market expert SEEK.

Forty-one per cent of employees in the education/science sector said that they were happy or very happy with their jobs, way ahead of the national average of 29.1 per cent. They were followed by consultants and trades/personal services workers who both rated 36 per cent.

The happiest workers by State are Western Australians where 34 per cent of employees are happy or very happy in their current jobs. Tasmania came in last position with only 25 per cent of workers saying they are happy or very happy.

When asked if their jobs are more secure than they were 12 months ago, Victoria’s hospitality and tourism workers were at the forefront of strong gains in job confidence across the state. Forty-three per cent of Victorian hospitality and tourism workers said there jobs are more secure than they were compared to 21 per cent of Victorian workers across all industry sectors. The percentage of all Australian workers who think their jobs are more secure was 20.8 per cent.

The second annual SEEK Survey of Employee Satisfaction and Motivation in Australia, collected responses from over 6,000 participants about how they view their work. According to SEEK CEO Paul Bassat, while Australian workers are generally feeling more positive than they were last year, a lack of confidence in their managers continues to be a significant problem.

“The survey found that regardless of where they live it is not poor pay, working hours or stress that is the pet hate of working Australians, but quality of management.

“In particular, a lack of trust in management is endemic in Australian workplaces. Across all industry sectors, 63 per cent of employees say that management at their organisations do not inspire trust, and 64 per cent believe that management is not open and honest with employees”, he said.

When asked if there is anything they hate about their current job, ‘quality of management’ was nominated by 53.7 per cent of survey respondents, followed by stress levels (47.1 per cent) and (a lack of) ‘feedback and appreciation’ (40 per cent).

Quality of management also ranked as the most important factor people consider when looking for a new job, ahead of salary, and then variety and content of work.

“This survey should serve as a fairly significant wake up call to employers. If you’re a manager, the odds are that many of your employees dislike working for you, they don’t trust a lot of what you say and they have plenty of job opportunities available to them elsewhere”, said Paul Bassat.

“This is a critical issue for organisations because staff retention and satisfaction has become an increasingly important competitive advantage for them.

“We are in the middle of a buoyant jobs market and I anticipate that many organisations will see a higher than normal level of turnover early next year. People tend to spend time over Christmas assessing where they are headed and with more options available for skilled workers it’s easier than ever to make a change.

“As quality of management is the factor employees are most interested in regarding their work, managers must also realise that throwing more money around will not in itself encourage employees to stay. Managers who want to keep their staff motivated and attract high performers would be better off focusing on lifting their own performance.

“According to our research, the three things managers most need to improve is following up their words with action, communicating openly and honestly and better supporting their team,” he said.

Another surprising finding from the survey was that working hours are not as big an issue for employees as many of us believe. Working hours were ranked as only the 11 th most important factor when looking for a job, and 38.9 per cent of survey respondents actually said that they loved their current working hours.

The 2004 survey also highlighted the growing importance that people are placing on their personal relationships with co-workers.

“Relationships with co-workers have also strengthened over the past year. An impressive 62.5 per cent of the people we surveyed said that they love the people they work with, way up on last year’s figure of 54 per cent.

“Australian workers might be skeptical of what’s happening at the senior levels of their organisations, but it seems that they mostly enjoy being part of their team”, he said.

Further information and comment is available.

Tables containing key survey data are available from www.aapmedianet.com.au or by contacting Anne Wickham. To arrange an interview with Paul Bassat please contact:

back to index

27 October 2004

SA Workers Drag Down Job Confidence Figures

Workers in South Australia reported the lowest gains in job security during the past 12 months of any state in Australia according to the latest intelligence report by employment market expert SEEK.

Twenty-six per cent of SA workers said that their jobs are less secure than they were 12 months ago, while 19 per cent said that they are more secure. Across Australia, 22.9 per cent of workers said their jobs were less secure than they were this time last year and 20.8 per cent said they were more secure.

When it came to how they feel about their current job, South Australians didn’t rate any better. Just 26 per cent said they were happy or very happy compared to 29.1 per cent of workers across Australia. However, Tasmania’s employees are the most dissatisfied by State, with 53 per cent saying that they were either unhappy or very unhappy in their current job. The figure for South Australia was 47 per cent.

The second annual SEEK Survey of Employee Satisfaction and Motivation in Australia, collected responses from over 6,000 participants about how they view their work. According to SEEK CEO Paul Bassat, while Australian workers are generally feeling more positive than they were last year, a lack of confidence in their managers continues to be a significant problem.

“The survey found that regardless of where they live it is not poor pay, working hours or stress that is the pet hate of working Australians, but quality of management.

“In particular, a lack of trust in management is endemic in Australian workplaces. Across all industry sectors, 63 per cent of employees say that management at their organisations do not inspire trust, and 64 per cent believe that management is not open and honest with employees”, he said.

When asked if there is anything they hate about their current job, ‘quality of management’ was nominated by 53.7 per cent of survey respondents, followed by stress levels (47.1 per cent) and (a lack of) ‘feedback and appreciation’ (40 per cent).

Quality of management also ranked as the most important factor people consider when looking for a new job, ahead of salary, and then variety and content of work.

“This survey should serve as a fairly significant wake up call to employers. If you’re a manager, the odds are that many of your employees dislike working for you, they don’t trust a lot of what you say and they have plenty of job opportunities available to them elsewhere”, said Paul Bassat.

“This is a critical issue for organisations because staff retention and satisfaction has become an increasingly important competitive advantage for them.

“We are in the middle of a buoyant jobs market and I anticipate that many organisations will see a higher than normal level of turnover early next year. People tend to spend time over Christmas assessing where they are headed and with more options available for skilled workers it’s easier than ever to make a change.

“As quality of management is the factor employees are most interested in regarding their work, managers must also realise that throwing more money around will not in itself encourage employees to stay. Managers who want to keep their staff motivated and attract high performers would be better off focusing on lifting their own performance.

“According to our research, the three things managers most need to improve is following up their words with action, communicating openly and honestly and better supporting their team,” he said.

Another surprising finding from the survey was that working hours are not as big an issue for employees as many of us believe. Working hours were ranked as only the 11 th most important factor when looking for a job, and 38.9 per cent of survey respondents actually said that they loved their current working hours.

The 2004 survey also highlighted the growing importance that people are placing on their personal relationships with co-workers.

“Relationships with co-workers have also strengthened over the past year. An impressive 62.5 per cent of the people we surveyed said that they love the people they work with, way up on last year’s figure of 54 per cent.

“Australian workers might be skeptical of what’s happening at the senior levels of their organisations, but it seems that they mostly enjoy being part of their team”, he said.

Further information and comment is available.

Tables containing key survey data are available from www.aapmedianet.com.au or by contacting Anne Wickham. To arrange an interview with Paul Bassat please contact:

back to index

27 October 2004

Teachers are Victoria’s Happiest Workers

In a surprising result, teachers and scientists have been unveiled as the happiest employees in Victoria according to the latest intelligence report by employment market expert SEEK.

Forty-one per cent of employees in the education/science sector said that they were happy or very happy with their jobs, way ahead of the national average of 29.1 per cent. They were followed by consultants and trades/personal services workers who both rated 36 per cent.

The happiest workers by State are Western Australians where 34 per cent of employees are happy or very happy in their current jobs. Tasmania came in last position with only 25 per cent of workers saying they are happy or very happy.

When asked if their jobs are more secure than they were 12 months ago, Victoria’s hospitality and tourism workers were at the forefront of strong gains in job confidence across the state. Forty-three per cent of Victorian hospitality and tourism workers said there jobs are more secure than they were compared to 21 per cent of Victorian workers across all industry sectors. The percentage of all Australian workers who think their jobs are more secure was 20.8 per cent.

The second annual SEEK Survey of Employee Satisfaction and Motivation in Australia, collected responses from over 6,000 participants about how they view their work. According to SEEK CEO Paul Bassat, while Australian workers are generally feeling more positive than they were last year, a lack of confidence in their managers continues to be a significant problem.

“The survey found that regardless of where they live it is not poor pay, working hours or stress that is the pet hate of working Australians, but quality of management.

“In particular, a lack of trust in management is endemic in Australian workplaces. Across all industry sectors, 63 per cent of employees say that management at their organisations do not inspire trust, and 64 per cent believe that management is not open and honest with employees”, he said.

When asked if there is anything they hate about their current job, ‘quality of management’ was nominated by 53.7 per cent of survey respondents, followed by stress levels (47.1 per cent) and (a lack of) ‘feedback and appreciation’ (40 per cent).

Quality of management also ranked as the most important factor people consider when looking for a new job, ahead of salary, and then variety and content of work.

“This survey should serve as a fairly significant wake up call to employers. If you’re a manager, the odds are that many of your employees dislike working for you, they don’t trust a lot of what you say and they have plenty of job opportunities available to them elsewhere”, said Paul Bassat.

“This is a critical issue for organisations because staff retention and satisfaction has become an increasingly important competitive advantage for them.

“We are in the middle of a buoyant jobs market and I anticipate that many organisations will see a higher than normal level of turnover early next year. People tend to spend time over Christmas assessing where they are headed and with more options available for skilled workers it’s easier than ever to make a change.

“As quality of management is the factor employees are most interested in regarding their work, managers must also realise that throwing more money around will not in itself encourage employees to stay. Managers who want to keep their staff motivated and attract high performers would be better off focusing on lifting their own performance.

“According to our research, the three things managers most need to improve is following up their words with action, communicating openly and honestly and better supporting their team,” he said.

Another surprising finding from the survey was that working hours are not as big an issue for employees as many of us believe. Working hours were ranked as only the 11 th most important factor when looking for a job, and 38.9 per cent of survey respondents actually said that they loved their current working hours.

The 2004 survey also highlighted the growing importance that people are placing on their personal relationships with co-workers.

“Relationships with co-workers have also strengthened over the past year. An impressive 62.5 per cent of the people we surveyed said that they love the people they work with, way up on last year’s figure of 54 per cent.

“Australian workers might be skeptical of what’s happening at the senior levels of their organisations, but it seems that they mostly enjoy being part of their team”, he said.

Further information and comment is available.

Tables containing key survey data are available from www.aapmedianet.com.au or by contacting Anne Wickham. To arrange an interview with Paul Bassat please contact:

back to index

27 October 2004

WA Workers the Happiest in Australia

Western Australian workers are the happiest in Australia on a State by State basis and they are feeling significantly more secure about their jobs than they were 12 months ago according to the latest intelligent report by employment market expert SEEK.

Thirty-four per cent of workers from Western Australia reported that they are either happy or very happy with their current job, considerably more than the national average of 29.1 per cent. But one dark spot related to the State’s retail sector where 29 per cent of employees said they are unhappy and a further 29 per cent are very unhappy at work.

The unhappiest workers on a State by State basis are Tasmanians where 53 per cent reported being either unhappy or very unhappy.

In the area of job security, Western Australia also fared well. Twenty-two per cent of workers in Western Australia believe that their job is more secure than it was 12 months ago, slightly higher than the figure across all Australian states which was 20.8 per cent.

The second annual SEEK Survey of Employee Satisfaction and Motivation in Australia, collected responses from over 6,000 participants about how they view their work. According to SEEK CEO Paul Bassat, while Australian workers are generally feeling more positive than they were last year, a lack of confidence in their managers continues to be a significant problem.

“The survey found that regardless of where they live it is not poor pay, working hours or stress that is the pet hate of working Australians, but quality of management.

“In particular, a lack of trust in management is endemic in Australian workplaces. Across all industry sectors, 63 per cent of employees say that management at their organisations do not inspire trust, and 64 per cent believe that management is not open and honest with employees”, he said.

When asked if there is anything they hate about their current job, ‘quality of management’ was nominated by 53.7 per cent of survey respondents, followed by stress levels (47.1 per cent) and (a lack of) ‘feedback and appreciation’ (40 per cent).

Quality of management also ranked as the most important factor people consider when looking for a new job, ahead of salary, and then variety and content of work.

“This survey should serve as a fairly significant wake up call to employers. If you’re a manager, the odds are that many of your employees dislike working for you, they don’t trust a lot of what you say and they have plenty of job opportunities available to them elsewhere”, said Paul Bassat.

“This is a critical issue for organisations because staff retention and satisfaction has become an increasingly important competitive advantage for them.

“We are in the middle of a buoyant jobs market and I anticipate that many organisations will see a higher than normal level of turnover early next year. People tend to spend time over Christmas assessing where they are headed and with more options available for skilled workers it’s easier than ever to make a change.

“As quality of management is the factor employees are most interested in regarding their work, managers must also realise that throwing more money around will not in itself encourage employees to stay. Managers who want to keep their staff motivated and attract high performers would be better off focusing on lifting their own performance.

“According to our research, the three things managers most need to improve is following up their words with action, communicating openly and honestly and better supporting their team,” he said.

Another surprising finding from the survey was that working hours are not as big an issue for employees as many of us believe. Working hours were ranked as only the 11 th most important factor when looking for a job, and 38.9 per cent of survey respondents actually said that they loved their current working hours.

The 2004 survey also highlighted the growing importance that people are placing on their personal relationships with co-workers.

“Relationships with co-workers have also strengthened over the past year. An impressive 62.5 per cent of the people we surveyed said that they love the people they work with, way up on last year’s figure of 54 per cent.

“Australian workers might be skeptical of what’s happening at the senior levels of their organisations, but it seems that they mostly enjoy being part of their team”, he said.

Further information and comment is available.

Tables containing key survey data are available from www.aapmedianet.com.au or by contacting Anne Wickham. To arrange an interview with Paul Bassat please contact:

back to index

27 October 2004

Bankers and lawyers a miserable bunch and 64 per cent of Australians don’t trust their boss

They may be famous for having high salaries, long lunches and fancy cars, but bankers and lawyers are the unhappiest workers in the country according to the latest intelligence report by employment market expert SEEK.

A stunning 55 per cent of legal sector employees and 52 per cent of workers in the banking and financial sector reported that they are either unhappy or very unhappy with their current job.

And their high-earning cousins don't fare much better. Looking across all employment sectors, people earning above $150,000 per annum are the most likely to be unhappy at work (49 per cent), while those earning less than $15,000 a year have the fewest unhappy workers (31 per cent). Unhappy people across all employment sectors and wage brackets made up 45 per cent.

On the other side of the coin, consulting (39 per cent) and education and science (38 per cent) are the industry sectors with the highest number of workers who are happy or very happy with their jobs.

The second annual SEEK Survey of Employee Satisfaction and Motivation in Australia , collected responses from over 6,000 participants about how they view their work. According to SEEK CEO Paul Bassat, while Australian workers are generally feeling more positive than they were last year, a lack of confidence in their managers continues to be a significant problem.

“The survey found that it is not poor pay, working hours or stress that is the pet hate of working Australians, but quality of management.

“In particular, a lack of trust in management is endemic in Australian workplaces. Across all industry sectors, 63 per cent of employees say that management at their organisations do not inspire trust, and 64 per cent believe that management is not open and honest with employees”, he said.

When asked if there is anything they hate about their current job, ‘quality of management' was nominated by 53.7 per cent of survey respondents, followed by stress levels (47.1 per cent) and (a lack of) ‘feedback and appreciation' (40 per cent).

Quality of management also ranked as the most important factor people consider when looking for a new job, ahead of salary, and then variety and content of work.

“This survey should serve as a fairly significant wake up call to employers. If you're a manager, the odds are that many of your employees dislike working for you, they don't trust a lot of what you say and they have plenty of job opportunities available to them elsewhere”, said Paul Bassat.

“This is a critical issue for organisations because staff retention and satisfaction has become an increasingly important competitive advantage for them.

“We are in the middle of a buoyant jobs market and I anticipate that many organisations will see a higher than normal level of turnover early next year. People tend to spend time over Christmas assessing where they are headed and with more options available for skilled workers it's easier than ever to make a change.

“As quality of management is the factor employees are most interested in regarding their work, managers must also realise that throwing more money around will not in itself encourage employees to stay. Managers who want to keep their staff motivated and attract high performers would be better off focusing on lifting their own performance.

“According to our research, the three things managers most need to improve is following up their words with action, communicating openly and honestly and better supporting their team,” he said.

Another surprising finding from the survey was that working hours are not as big an issue for employees as many of us believe. Working hours were ranked as only the 11 th most important factor when looking for a job, and 38.9 per cent of survey respondents actually said that they loved their current working hours.

The 2004 survey also uncovered significant gains in job confidence compared to 12 months ago.

“We are seeing a significant pick up in job security, with 20.8 per cent of Australian workers saying that they believe their jobs are more secure than they were 12 months ago.

“Confidence levels are especially strong among hospitality and tourism workers, with 31 per cent saying their jobs are more secure.

“Relationships with co-workers have also strengthened over the past year. An impressive 62.5 per cent of the people we surveyed said that they love the people they work with, way up on last year's figure of 54 per cent.

“Australian workers might be skeptical of what's happening at the senior levels of their organisations, but it seems that they mostly enjoy being part of their team”, he said.

Further information and comment is available

Tables containing key survey data are available from www.aapmedianet.com.au or by contacting Anne Wickham. To arrange an interview with Paul Bassat please contact:

back to index

22 September 2004

Fraudulent Advertising

Fraudulent and misleading job offers are circulating on the Internet, and to appear reputable, companies are employing phrases such as ‘Powered by SEEK’ or ‘SEEK Job Of The Week’. These companies are not registered with SEEK, and these claims are false, as no such affiliation exists.

One such offer is from a company called ‘Plasma Project’ or ‘Plasma Connection’ - it asks for ‘agents’ to accept transfers of funds on their behalf and receive a percentage as a commission.

We advise you NOT to divulge your personal financial information to such companies. If you have supplied your bank account details, please contact your bank immediately and ask for their advice.

Protect yourself from fraudulent job opportunities - Safe Job Searching.

If you see a questionable job ad on site, or suspect that you may be the victim of a fraudulent job opportunity, please contact us immediately.

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17 August 2004

Safe Job Searching

Illegal ads occasionally appear on online job boards to solicit personal or financial information. To protect yourself from unscrupulous advertisers, keep the following recommendations in mind:

• Where an opportunity appears ‘too good to be true', it is likely that it is!
• If you have any concerns about the legitimacy of a job ad, contact SEEK immediately
• Be wary of any advertiser requesting:
  • An up front fee
  • Personal information such as appearance
• Never provide:
  • Bank or credit card details
  • Drivers licence information
  • Tax file number
• When you get a new job, be wary of a new employer asking you to:
  • Forward, transfer, or ‘wire' money to an another person using your personal bank account
  • Transfer money and retain a portion for payment

SEEK endeavours to ensure that all job ads on our site are for legitimate job opportunities and removes, when identified, ads that contravene the SEEK Terms and Conditions.

If you see a questionable job ad on site, or suspect that you may be the victim of a fraudulent job opportunity, please contact us immediately.

Related Articles - SEEK Media Release 20 April 2004.

These websites provide valuable, up-to-date information about frauds and scams.

• Code Fish Spam Watch has info about the latest Internet scams including the Plasma TV salesperson “job” currently circulating.
• Fido, ASIC’s website for consumers has a great deal of information about a wide range of financial scams, including online schemes.

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16 August 2004

SEEK continues to power ahead in IT

To reinforce what already appears to be a clear lead in the IT employment market, SEEK has announced a powerful new alliance with ZDNet Australia (http://www.zdnet.com.au ), the leading IT and technology website.

ZDNet Australia dominates the technology marketplace as a premier destination site for an audience of IT professionals, developers, business users and personal technology enthusiasts, and is Australia’s most popular source of technology news, products and trends.

Under the new alliance SEEK IT will power the jobs search functionality of ZDNet Australia’s online employment channel Tech Jobs (http://www.zdnet.com.au/jobs/), providing visitors to ZDNet Australia access to the SEEK IT database of job ads and job search tools.

“There is powerful synergy in bringing together the number one technology website and Australia’s leading employment website to deliver greater reach to our advertisers", said SEEK Executive Director, Andrew Bassat. "It is the forging of such alliances that allows SEEK to deliver greater value for our clients’ advertising budget, as we increase the number of people who view their ads. The ZDNet Australia alliance places clients’ job ads in front of a powerful technology market — those who might be well-qualified and in niche technology roles, but who aren't actively looking for a new position."

The alliance with ZDNet Australia is a further step in SEEK’s established strategy of securing world-class distribution channels for its employment website.

SEEK’s distribution channels already include industry heavyweights such as ninemsn and Yahoo! Inc, and the success of these partnerships was underlined last month as SEEK announced a further extension to the alliance with Yahoo! Australia & NZ.

Red Sheriff data for July shows that SEEK IT has nearly doubled its lead over Jobnet in the past twelve months in IT traffic, with over 200,000 unique visitors in this industry alone.

For more information about SEEK please contact:

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9 July 2004

SEEK Recognised as a “Best Employer”

SEEK Ltd, the company that delivers Australia’s leading employment websites www.seek.com.au, has been highly commended for the second year running in the Best Employers in Australia & New Zealand 2004 survey, conducted by Hewitt & Associates and the AGSM.

In 2003, SEEK was ranked as one of Australia’s fastest growing companies according to the BRW Fast 100 index. SEEK achieved this by averaging turnover growth of 227 per cent per annum during the past three years. In 2003 SEEK was also a National Finalist in the Prime Minister's Awards for Excellence in Community Business Partnerships for its work in developing a national online database of volunteering positions.

Commenting on its “Best Employer” status Chief Executive Officer Paul Bassat said: “Our staff has grown by 30% in the past 12 months, so we were really pleased to have maintained our status as one of Australia’s best employers.

“We work hard to make sure there’s a shared vision of where we are heading and we look for diverse, talented staff who want to use their initiative to drive things themselves.

“We place a really high importance on cultural values at SEEK. There have been many times when we’ve interviewed people who may have had all the right qualifications and experience for a job but we’ve knocked them back because we felt they would dilute our workplace culture.

“From the top down there is also a commitment to creating an environment of mutual trust and respect, which translates to flexibility for staff. This commitment is reflected in everything that we do from providing open and honest feedback through to our HR policies and programs.

“This approach is clearly working well. Our staff are telling us they feel part of our success and that they like coming to work each day”, he said.

SEEK now employs over 140 staff in Australia and New Zealand.

For further information please contact:

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30 June 2004

Salary Not Always Top of Mind for Job Seekers

In the current tight employment market, recruitment strategies based solely on offering high salaries are doomed to fail. According to the ‘Passion People’ survey jointly conducted by seek.com.au and Cavill & Co, a company’s reputation as an employer (96% of respondents) is more important than salary (94%), job security (90%) and job location (90%) when it comes to wanting to work for a company.

A tightening employment market is shifting power over to employees, providing them with more choice when looking for a job. For example, Seek advertised over 70,000 jobs on its site last month compared to 55,000 twelve months ago.

“Employers will need to start offering better employment packages or they are going to miss out on the good quality workers in the market and potentially lose the ones they currently have”, says SEEK CEO Paul Bassat.

The survey also found that a pay rise isn’t always the best way to keep a staff member. More appealing are opportunities to develop skills (94%) and a career path that offers good prospects (94%). Salary comes in third at 91.5%.

Companies developing staff retention strategies also need to take into consideration the differences between men and women. For example, the ‘Passion People’ survey found that 62% of women find a company’s reputation for supporting causes/charities very important for their decision to stay with a company, compared to 37% of men.

“The bottom line is that companies need to start asking themselves how they can best attract and retain employees now that there are so many more jobs around.

For more information about SEEK please contact:

Further information on the Passion People survey can be found at www.cavill.com.au

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20 April 2004

Job seekers need to exercise caution...

The country’s largest employment website today issued a warning to job seekers to be vigilant about job opportunities that seem “too good to be true”.

Several international criminal operations have begun work in Australia. At least one of these is under investigation by the Australian Federal Police. Candidates may be contacted after applying for a job ad or directly contacted by email. The scams and frauds take different forms, but job seekers may be invited to enter bank account details via a website or by email or to send money for “registration fees” or information packs, warned SEEK Ltd CEO Paul Bassat.

He condemned those responsible for causing confusion and distress to Australian job seekers and businesses.

“The individuals behind these schemes are shamelessly taking advantage of the effort that thousands of Australians put into finding a new job,” said Paul Bassat. “They will register under various fictitious names; sometimes they even have the nerve to try and pass themselves off as established, reputable local businesses.”

Paul Bassat emphasised that anyone who had provided bank account details in such circumstances should immediately contact their bank and ask for advice.

Job seekers: how to protect yourself online

• Be sensible online. The only people who benefit from “get rich quick” schemes are the fraudsters operating them. Don’t let greed make you impulsive or foolhardy.
• Don’t ever provide bank account details, your tax file number, driver’s license or credit card numbers as part of a job application. No employer needs any information like this until you have accepted a job offer and have physically started work. (Advise SEEK immediately if a company advertising on a SEEK website asks you for these details.)
• Beware of prospective employers who ask for money before they consider your job application.
• Don’t be complacent because you recognise the name of a reputable business or its website. Scams are increasingly daring and sophisticated and they won’t hesitate to fraudulently use the good name of other companies to advance their cause.
• If you have suspicions about the legitimacy of an advertised position (online or offline), make independent enquiries before you apply. Look up the company name in White Pages. If you find the company listed, call them to verify the ad.
• Make sure you have up to date anti-virus software on your computer to guard against Trojan horses and other web nasties.
• Notify SEEK at once if you have any concerns about vacancies listed on SEEK or offers contained in email sent via the SEEK website. Please include as much information as possible, including a link to the ad.

These websites provide valuable, up-to-date information about frauds and scams. Check them out and share these addresses with your friends:

• Code Fish Spam Watch has info about the latest Internet scams including the Plasma TV salesperson “job” currently circulating.
• Fido, ASIC’s website for consumers has a great deal of information about a wide range of financial scams, including online schemes.

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25 February 2004

SEEK Ltd acquires nzjobs.co.nz
Online employment leader expanding on both sides of Tasman

SEEK Ltd has further consolidated its position as the leader in online recruitment advertising in Australia and New Zealand, with the announcement today that it has acquired nzjobs.co.nz, New Zealand's second most popular employment website.

Announcing the acquisition, SEEK Executive Director Andrew Bassat said: "We are focused on building the single most significant marketplace for job seekers and recruitment advertisers in every location we operate in. Our goal is to make recruitment faster, easier and more effective."

"The acquisition of NZ Jobs will really consolidate our competitive position in New Zealand. We plan to maintain our focus and grow rapidly in both Australia and New Zealand through a range of suitable means."

The acquisition is SEEK's first since PBL joined its list of investors in August 2003.

SEEK Ltd publishes seek.com.au, Australia's most frequently visited employment website. The site lists more than 50,000 vacancies and attracts over 1.1 million job seekers each month.

seek.co.nz was launched in August 1999 and is run by a subsidiary company, SEEK (NZ) Ltd, which is based in Auckland. It is now the number one employment website in New Zealand and was visited by more than one in 14 New Zealand workers in January, some 149,000 people. SEEK NZ also won the Netguide Best Employment Website Award in 2003, which is decided by popular votes cast by Internet users.

Andrew Bassat said that SEEK is working hard to ensure its business continues to grow strongly on both sides of the Tasman.

The nzjobs.co.nz website will merge with seek.co.nz on 1 May 2004. The sale price was not disclosed.

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13 February 2004

Post holidays, workers head to job sites

Maybe it was the New Year's resolutions made while relaxing and reflecting on annual holidays at the beach. Or maybe it was the shock of heading back to the office or factory and realising how nothing at work had changed and it was all bad!

Whatever the cause, there was something going on last month in the collective consciousness of Australian employees. They flooded Australia's largest employment website, seek.com.au, in unprecedented numbers. More than 1.18 million people more than one in nine of Australians in the workforce — visited SEEK in January, according to independent web measurement firm Red Sheriff.

SEEK's partners on co–branded sites also experienced a spike in visitors. ninemsn, saw a 21 percent surge in traffic over the month of January.

"There's a clear pattern to hiring and job seeking over summer," notes SEEK CEO Paul Bassat. "The number of jobs advertised slows right down in the lead up to Christmas and job seekers are also distracted by all the demands of the holiday season. Typically the number of both advertised positions and job searches surges in January, but we've never seen anything like what has happened in 2004. The number of unique visitors was up 32 per cent compared to January 2003."

The most frequently searched jobs were in admin/customer service, hospitality and tourism, sales and marketing and accounting. The number of healthcare jobs and job searches has also increased substantially, with the number of job searches up 59 per cent in just four months.

Visitor numbers surged from Monday 5 January, although the busiest day for the month was 20 January.

Almost two–thirds of SEEK's visitors are currently employed. seek.com.au is busiest during the week between 10 and 11 am. There's also another spike after people get home from work, between 7 and 8 pm.

The temptation to see what opportunities are out there is everywhere. SEEK powers the employment zone on a number of other high profile websites, such as ninemsn. "670,000 people visit ninemsn every day," says Dominic Finnegan, Director, Consumer Services, ninemsn. "Someone who's not actively looking for work might visit to browse the news headlines or sports news. They'll find a quick job search is only a click away. And if they uncover the perfect opportunity, who knows?"

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18 January 2004

Australian employment market continues to march online

A new kind of Christmas shopper emerged in December with 930,000 people browsing the leading employment website seek.com.au for a new job. December has traditionally been a quiet month for SEEK, and the company was surprised by the bumper month which saw 53% more visitors to the site than December the previous year.

The ANZ Job Ads survey released last week showed that internet job ads rose by 3.7% in December to their highest levels since March 2001. In comparison, newspaper advertisements fell by 10.7% in December with sharp declines in all states. Newspaper advertisements also fell by 0.5% the previous month.

According to Paul Bassat, Chief Executive Officer of SEEK, this data and SEEK's traffic figures demonstrate that the mainstream employment market has now moved online.

"When it comes to filling positions recruiters are saying that online advertising is proving to be a better way to go. We anticipate that newspaper advertising will continue to diminish as more companies modernise their recruitment strategies."

The 2003 Recruitment Industry Performance Report, a recent study conducted by Navigator Consulting, found that 89% of recruiters use SEEK to source permanent candidates, ahead of referrals which ranked second at 87%. SEEK was also ranked as the most successful source of candidates for permanent, temporary and contract positions by 81% for the recruiters surveyed.

SEEK was also nominated as the most successful media source for candidates, well ahead of print and other online employment sites. 54% of recruiters use SEEK as their first preference and a further 28% use SEEK exclusively.

Bassat says that most HR Managers have experienced significant cuts to their recruitment budgets in recent years and now that the market is picking up in favour of job seekers they will need to do more with less. "The best advice I can give in this environment is to measure where you are getting your candidates from. Online recruitment has proven to deliver results, and advertising with multiple sources can often be a waste of good money."

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