Media Release - 1 August 2008
White-collar employees in the dark about job prospects in Greater Western Sydney
Key Survey Findings:
- Only 15% of respondents believe their employment prospects in Greater Western Sydney are high, with 34% rating them as low or nil
- 36% of respondents are willing to work in Greater Western Sydney – a further 32% would consider it
- Of the people willing to work in Greater Western Sydney, 54% say salary is the most important consideration followed by career progression at 20% and travel time at 12%
- 32% of respondents are not willing to work in Greater Western Sydney – 56% of this group cite excessive travel time as the reason
- 93% of respondents are not willing to travel more than one hour to work
Michael Page International, a specialist recruitment consultancy for the professional labour market, has today released findings of a survey into white-collar perceptions of the employment market in Greater Western Sydney.
The survey, which incorporates responses from 1,100 white-collar workers currently employed in the Sydney CBD and North Sydney, reveals more people would work in Greater Western Sydney if they were better informed of comparable career opportunities.
"Greater Western Sydney has one of the largest regional economies in Australia and with that comes a requirement for professional skills. The people with these skills are tertiary educated workers who are employed in areas such as accounting, marketing and information technology. A large proportion of them work in and around the Sydney CBD and this poses a challenge for employers in Greater Western Sydney," said Phillip Guest, Managing Director for Australia & New Zealand, Michael Page International.
The survey reveals two-thirds of white-collar respondents would either work or consider working in Greater Western Sydney. But only 15% believe their job prospects in the area are high, with the majority ranking them as low or nil.
"Our research shows that people are not including Greater Western Sydney in their job search because the white-collar employment market is still perceived as CBD-centric. There needs to be a stronger focus on educating the white-collar workforce about the scope and quality of job opportunities in the region," said Mr Guest.
"We opened our Parramatta office over 15 years ago and have witnessed strong growth in the professional labour market since then. Commercial centres like Parramatta have expanded and business parks have emerged in surrounding areas. This is drawing large corporates and SMEs into the region and changing the employment landscape for white-collar workers. The resulting scope of employment opportunities is far greater than commonly perceived," Mr Guest said.
According to the survey, 54% of the people willing to work in Greater Western Sydney regard salary as the most important consideration, followed by career progression at 20% and travel time at 12%. The length of travel time proved to be a stronger consideration than cost, with 93% of respondents unwilling to travel more than one hour to work.
"Employers and recruitment firms need to work collaboratively on targeting candidates with the right messages. In job advertisements and interviews, the focus should be on attractive salary packaging and the opportunity for career development. Concerns over travel time should also be addressed, with incentives such as travel concessions and free parking on offer from companies in business parks not on public transport routes," said Mr Guest.
About the Michael Page Report
A web-based survey was emailed to a group of white-collar professionals currently working in the Sydney CBD and North Sydney. The survey contained a series of questions regarding their perceptions of the employment market in Greater Western Sydney and the key considerations that would be taken into account before accepting a job in the region.
More than 1,100 employees completed the survey, with respondents working in white-collar roles in finance, human resources, sales, marketing and technology. The companies that respondents worked for included small, medium and large enterprises.
Demographically, the break-down of respondents by age bracket was:
- 18–25 : 11%
- 26–35 : 41%
- 36–45 : 29%
- 46–55 : 15%
- 55+ : 11%
For the purpose of the survey, participants were advised Greater Western Sydney included locations such as Auburn, Baulkham Hills, Blacktown, Parramatta, Liverpool, Penrith and Campbelltown.
Contact
Jason Hemens – Corporate Communications Manager
Ph: 02 8292 2094
Email: jasonhemens@michaelpage.com.au
About Michael Page International
Michael Page International is a leading professional recruitment consultancy specialising in the recruitment of permanent, contract and temporary positions on behalf of the world’s top employers. The consultancy operates through 141 offices in 24 countries and employs more than 4,300 people. Australian operations began in 1985 and the office network has since expanded to include Sydney, Chatswood, Parramatta, Melbourne, Wheelers Hill, Brisbane and Perth.
