Auto recruitment on the rise

EMPLOYMENT in the Australian automotive industry appears to be geared towards contract positions, with one recruitment agency, Inventra, experiencing a rise of more than 160 per cent in contract staff placements for the April to June quarter compared with 2009.

Inventra, which specialises in technical and engineering recruitment, said the local automotive labour market was showing signs of recovery from the global financial crisis, but had found that demand for permanent placements remained well behind that for contactors.

Its books show the latter had risen by about 55 per cent over the second quarter, which in raw number terms equates to a rise from six to nine placements a month on average.

Contract jobs, on the other hand, have climbed from an average of eight placements a month in Q2 2009 to 21 over the corresponding period this year.

“Employers are rehiring, yet are taking a cautious approach,” the company said.

It also said employees were typically reluctant to switch jobs when general economic conditions were fluctuating and consumer sentiment was falling due to factors such as rising interest rates.

According to Inventra, specialist positions such as powertrain calibration, prototyping technicians, technical support consultants and inventory analysts “continue to enjoy high demand”.

“There remains a significant supply of automotive industry candidates who are yet to secure alternative employment after displacement during the GFC,” the company said.

“The most successful candidates transitioning out of the automotive industry during the GFC appear to be financial, marketing, logistics and manufacturing professionals.

“Those candidates struggling to find alternative employment appear to be professional engineers and designers from OEM manufacturers.”