Openness to Change Tops List of Qualities Australian Employers are Looking for in Workers

Adhering to the popular adage that the only things permanent in life are death, taxes and change, a recruitment firm listed the top qualities that employers look for in workers amid high unemployment rates in different parts of the world.

Topping the list of desired qualities was openness to change. It was followed by resilience to stress and perseverance.

"Many employers believe the tough economic environment has changed the skills their people need to be high performers," Hudson Asia-Pacific Chief Executive Mark Steyn said in a statement.

"Being resilient and open to change are now among the most desirable attributes - people with these qualities are in demand regardless of hiring sentiment," he explained.

The global financial crisis has caused many companies across the world to downsize, leading to changes in work description, assignment, work hours, pay levels and office location. However, some employees have resisted these changes because of its impact on their careers and personal lives.

While Australia did not suffer from a recession during the GFC, many Aussie firms likewise introduced changes to employment conditions and downsized operations as the global economy contracted. The contraction continues with the number of Australian employers planning to hire in the quarter to September 30 down to 29.6 per cent from 32.2 per cent for the June quarter.

Mr Steyn said most of the hiring will be made by firms in Western Australia which is the country's strongest state due to the mining boom. Employers in Queensland, which also benefits from the resources boom, have lesser hiring intentions because of concerns over public sector job cuts, falling coal prices and the impact of the mining tax on the sector.

As a result, hiring intention in Queensland plummeted to less than 33 per cent from 43.1 per cent in the June quarter. Across Australia, majority of the companies do not plan to further cut their workforce, except for 12 per cent. The survey had more than 3,000 respondents.

Hudson, which also conducted similar surveys in other countries, noted a similar hiring trend in Singapore.

"So we are not going to see a lot of new roles. We'll probably see a lot of replacement roles ... it's not going to be a simple like for like. It's more of what is the best for the business, given the current economic climate," Channel News Asia quoted Hudson Executive General Manager Andrew Tomich.

However, the outlook for employment is higher in China where Hudson found that 56 per cent of the multinational corporations are planning to hire more workers for the third quarter of 2012. Only 35 per cent of Singapore employers and 38 per cent of Hong Kong employers share the same plans.

Hudson explained the lower hiring intention in Singapore to banks limiting new employment to critical hires, particularly for risk management and compliance professionals and back office workers.