Projections from economists that Australia could be heading towards record-low unemployment before the year is out is fantastic news for jobseekers, but for employers it signals a need to step up their game or miss out on the best recruits.

Employment Office managing director, Tudor Marsden-Huggins said the decline in unemployment reported in figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) this month signalled that employers would find fewer jobseekers applying for advertised roles as the year progressed.

“David de Garis, Senior Economist at NAB has predicted that unemployment rates will continue to fall which means that employers need to take the right approach to attract the best candidates for each position,” Mr Marsden-Huggins said.

“Already a marked decrease in applications across certain industries is evident and this will only become more obvious as the year progresses. “Our own research has shown the average number of applications for recruitment campaigns have dropped by 28 percent in some industries in the past two years.

“One role in particular, recruiting a Community Support Worker in received 193 applications in 2010 and for a similar campaign this year only 85 applications were received.”

Mr Marsden-Huggins said a decrease in jobseekers wasn’t all doom and gloom for employers however.

“There are still plenty of applicants out there and employers just have to get better at attracting them.

“Using a recruitment expert to assist with their hiring will become paramount to success over the coming year.

“While the pool of applicants may be shrinking, if companies take steps to address how they tackle recruitment activities they may find the calibre of jobseekers they attract is in fact improving.”

Employment Office offers the following tips for employers as the jobseeker market shrinks:

Top tips

• Treat candidates like clients. Using a good candidate management system is invaluable to achieve this. Track all communication or risk losing good candidates or damaging your brand by being one of those companies that never replies. It also builds a talent database for the future. Respond to all candidates within a week, whether you are interested in them or not.
• Take control of your recruitment brand. Get the message right. You need to out-perform your competitors: use an expert to get your message and the process right and make sure you have the resources to fill in the gaps and you are half way there. Describe the type of person you want so the right candidate will identify it as a good fit, or focus on the job’s selling points.
• Have a clear advertising and attraction strategy. Advertise far and wide using newspapers, the big online job boards and industry websites
• Use recruitment agencies sparingly. Take control of your recruitment process and compare agency candidates with direct applicants lest they be oversold.
• Manage candidate expectations. Ensure candidates know what is expected from them as well as any benefits associated with the role. Especially with expatriate candidates, make sure you explain as much as you can about the role, the company, the location and the environment they’ll be working in so you don’t lose them early on.
• Be prepared to go the extra mile. Assist new recruits with relocation costs and help them to settle in.
• Behavioural and cultural fit is important. Use a good behavioural testing system. Cultural fit is less tangible but still important if you want good people to stay.
• Have a retention strategy. By engaging workers and keeping them happy, you will avoid unnecessary recruitment and ensure your company has a strong name.