Australia Wide Labour Hire – Market Commentary July 2016

Following are our observations of labour hire markets in both Melbourne and Sydney.

Labour hire demand persisted solidly throughout the second quarter on the back of what was a very strong start to the year. Market conditions continued to favour local manufacturing and export, and as such, heavy recruitment continued for the food, industrial, electronics and metal sectors.

Demand for quality skilled and unskilled staff such as process workers, blenders, assemblers and forklift drivers/warehouse assistants was persistent. Of particular note was a big increase in requirements for skilled labour such as machine operators and trades personnel, namely fitters, electricians and trades assistants. Permanent placements of operations and service personnel also rose, further highlighting the positive manufacturing environment. We expect healthy and strong demand for labour hire to continue throughout the back half of the year, which is traditionally the strongest for most manufacturing sectors.