THIRTY-EIGHT per cent of Australians do not take all of their allocated annual leave days, making them once again the worst in the world at taking all their entitled annual leave.
THIRTY-EIGHT per cent of Australians do not take all of their allocated annual leave days, making them once again the worst in the world at taking all their entitled annual leave. More than a quarter (26 per cent) of Australians cited financial pressures as the main reason. Other reasons respondents cited for not taking holidays were:
Work anxiety when away 5 %
Fear for job security 7%
Feeling of guilt 11%
EVEN WHEN Australians took time off from work, almost two thirds said they remained able to be contacted by their work while on holiday (62 per cent), with a huge 57 per cent being contactable by work or the office via their mobile phone, and 41 per cent keeping an eye on their work emails while on holiday.
Source: Expedia
Most expensive cities for expats
MOSCOW IS the world’s most expensive city for expatriates for the second consecutive year, according to a recent cost of living survey. London is in second position, climbing three places since last year. Seoul moves down one place in the ranking to take third place, followed by Tokyo in fourth. Asuncion in Paraguay is the least expensive city for the fifth year running. Sydney was the lone Australian representative in the top 50, placing 21st.
Source: Mercer
Australia offer greatest job prospects
AUSTRALIA OFFERS the greatest job prospects in the current global economy, according to a survey of 1449 employees. Demonstrating a confidence in the Australasian region, the next greatest job prospects are perceived as being in China and India, with 27 per cent and 13 per cent respectively. Recent reports of an increase of Australians returning home citing better job prospects, a drop in applications to work overseas, and an increase in foreign professionals seeking work in Australia bear out this confidence in the Australian job market.
Source: LinkMe.com
Job ads lift amid gloom
JOB ADS increased by 1.5 per cent in May despite the economic downturn. Analysis shows last month’s growth was based on the resources boom, and many of the job ads were for the Queensland and Western Australian mining industries. Job ads fell in 10 of the 16 sectors surveyed during May. Growth in job ads in the past 12 months has now slumped to 26 per cent, compared to an annual growth rate of more than 50 per cent last year.
Source: Olivier Group
Fund managers defensive but worst may be over
TWO IN three Australian Investment managers believe that the worst is behind them, agreeing that the Australian share market low (ASX 200) in March will be the lowest point in the market for 2008. However, according to a recent survey, the managers continue to hold defensive positions in a highly volatile market. The outlook for the remainder of 2008 appears flat, with 58 per cent of fund managers believing that the market offers only fair value. This is mainly attributed to a slowing economy, continuing uncertainty in credit markets, rising energy costs and rampant inflation.
Source: Russell
Depression linked to stressful jobs
ONE IN every six depressed Australians can blame stressful jobs for their mental state, according to a recent study. The study said jobs at fault were those where the employee had high demands but little control, with women and people in lower-skilled roles most likely to be affected. But the controversial findings have not impressed mental health experts, who claim that, while work can indeed be stressful, it is rarely a trigger for clinical depression.
Source: University of Melbourne
Rail on track for huge labour shortages
FORTY PER CENT of the current rail workforce will need to be replaced within the next five years. A recent study identifies the likelihood of substantial labour shortages, due to the ageing workforce, an Australia-wide scarcity of qualified labour, a shortage of rail-experienced staff and a lack of interest in rail as a career. The research suggests that to merely maintain the current headcount in operations roles over the next five years will still result in employee deficits of between 2300 and 3300. Train drivers will account for almost a third of the shortage.
Source: Infohrm
Employers slow to use Web 2.0
ORGANISATIONS ARE failing to boost the attraction and retention of key talent through the benefits of Web 2.0. According to a survey of 779 organisations, an overwhelming majority (80 per cent) of organisations do not currently use Web 2.0 online methods to attract or recruit employees, with only 8 per cent planning to start using the technology in the next year.More than half of respondents (56 per cent) believe that social networking sites are useful for engaging potential job seekers and welcome its ability to shed light on how they are perceived in the marketplace. The majority (62 per cent) are concerned, however, that damaging comments about their organisation might be posted.
Source: CIPD
HR salaries rising
HR DIRECTORS or general managers are the highest paid in HR, clocking in at between $180k and $400k in NSW. The same position is listed as paying between $200k and $350k in Victoria and WA. According to a recent survey, salaries in the HR industry have increased over the last several years. NSW, QLD and WA, in particular, have seen salaries increase across the board of as much as 10 per cent over this period.
Source: Hudson
Employees hounded by bosses 24/7
MORE THAN a third of Australian employees are being hounded by their bosses outside of working hours, a recent survey of 1800 employees reveals. More than half (54 per cent) of these employees say that they value their jobs and are, therefore, afraid to tell their bosses that they object to this contact for fear of the repercussions. The majority of this contact is via:
SMS 34%
Email 43%
Mobile telephone calls 82%
Source: LinkMe
