Check out the list of 2008's Top 10 Hottest Jobs at the end of this story.
KEY POINTS:
A downturn in economic performance and a slowing in some industry sectors doesn't necessarily impact on talent acquisition, says the head of a global recruitment agency.
Talent2 managing director Andrew Banks says that from a recruitment perspective, most sectors of the job market are insulated from perceptions ofdoom and gloom simply because there is still a need to find the right person for the right job.
Banks is the co-founder of Australasian recruitment giant of the 90s Morgan & Banks, which was purchased by a US company in 1999.
New-York based Banks is in New Zealand for the merger of IT recruiters Duncan and Ryan with Talent2's New Zealand office.
"In our experience economies still need the right skills and the right talent no matter what side of the economic cycle they are on," said Banks.
"Smart employers understand the need to recruit, retain and manage key staff with the skills needed to continue to grow their business", he said.
"This means that although the emphasis on certain job types might change there is no change in the need to recruit the right people."
Banks says in Europe, for example, the labour market is booming due to a rationalisation of labour laws as well as a generally progressive employment-focused view.
"In many ways we believe the recruitment environment is a true litmus measure of economic performance - not from a 'how many jobs are in the newspaper' perspective - but more from what are the skills and attributes being sought."
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A recent survey by Talent2 in Australia pinpointed the 10 hottest occupations for the year ahead. In other words, these are the skills that will be valued the highest by employers (salaries in Australian dollars):
1 Learning and Development Managers ($80-$160k)
2. Tax Accountants ($120-$140k)
3. Financial Controllers ($150k to $180k)
4. Internal Communications Managers ($100 - $200k)
5. Corporate Social Responsibility Managers ($120 - $180k)
6. FMCG Brand Managers ($100k to $135k)
7. Solutions Architects ($160-$200k)
8. Engineers all types up to $300k
9. Security Managers (IT) ($150-$250k)
10. Marketing Campaign Managers ($80k to $100k)
