Although the economy may be slowing down, Perth jobs in engineering construction seem unaffected.

According to economists, these positions will remain strong due to the fact that the state government has set aside a significant amount of money to be spent on the city’s infrastructure.

Recent figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that the amount of engineering construction done throughout the country from January to March equaled $13.8 billion, which is a seasonally adjusted increase of 7.2 percent from the previous quarter.

Michael Workman, senior economist with Commonwealth Bank, said that the thriving mining sector can explain the jump in this field.

“Geographically it is mainly in Western Australia and Queensland,” he explained.

Peter Jones, chief economist with Master Builders Australia, predicts that the amount of engineering work that will be completed before the end of the 2007-2008 fiscal year will total over $60 billion.

He went on to say that, “the outlook should stay bright as state governments up their spending on infrastructure and industry attempts to work though the massive pipeline of resources-related work yet to be done.”

At the end of March the amount of planned engineering work that had yet to be done amounted to $51.6 billion. This figure is up by $20 billion from the previous year. Extra spending in the industry translates to extra jobs in Perth and elsewhere in Australia.

Other sectors that are reaping the benefits of government spending include construction and material processing, both of which Workman says will continue to generate new positions.

“It is likely to mean that jobs and wages growth in those sectors stays firm even though the more interest-rate-sensitive parts of the economy slow,” he said. “So any rise in the national unemployment rate through the second half of 2008 may be relatively mild.”

Nationally,Pe the amount of private-sector engineering work completed by March equaled $8.9 billion, which is an 8.2 percent increase from the previous quarter. During the same time the amount of public sector work increased by 5.4 percent and totaled $4.9 billion.

Labels: Perth jobs

Earlier this month Robert Half International released its Financial Hiring Index for the third quarter of 2008, which showed that there will soon be an increase in Washington, D.C. accounting jobs.

The Index showed that a net 7 percent of chief financial officers (CFOs) in the area are planning to add to their existing of staff numbers.

Of the CFOs surveyed, 11 percent said that they plan to hire accounting and finance professionals before the fourth quarter. Another 4 percent stated that they expect to decrease the number of people employed by them in this sector.

Although the resulting 7 percent increase in the number of CFOs planning to hire in the D.C. area means that there will be more accounting jobs, the expectation of new positions is down 3 points from the previous quarter. Despite this, this industry is doing better in the D.C. metro area than it is elsewhere in the country. The third quarter hiring estimation shows that the city is above the national average by 7 points.

“While the job market has become more competitive in a number of fields, demand for skilled accounting and finance professionals is holding steady,” Mac Messmer, CEO and chairman of Robert Half International, recently stated. “In fact, for many key positions, it remains a challenge to find experienced candidates.”

To get the results of the Index, 200 local CFOs were randomly selected and asked to comment on their plans for hiring and firing in the coming quarter. All of those who participated worked in offices that had 20 or more employees. In order to determine industry expectations nationally, 1,400 CFOs were polled. The survey, which was developed by the company, was conducted by an independent research firm.

Robert Half, which is the world’s largest staffing services corporation specializing in accounting and finance, has been following the industry’s hiring expectations since 1992.

Labels: Washington D.C. accounting jobs

One HR tracking software company has served more than 700 customers.

iCIMS, the third-largest provider of Software-as-a-Service talent acquisition solutions, has announced it has surpassed the 700 customer mark. The company has managed to add clients such as H&R Block, Biaggi's Restaurants, Baptist Memorial Health Care, SharpShooter Imaging and Rutgers University Foundation.

The company's clients represent almost every industry, country and employee size. iCIMS' software operates on one single-source code to provide clients with a single system for the entire employee tenure.

Small and mid-sized organizations often choose iCIMS' Talent Platform to help manage their pre- and post-hire programs, while larger organizations often choose the company's single platform to replace multiple modules from other companies.

iCIMS' solutions allow small to medium-sized businesses to use the software for: applicant tracking, onboarding, performance management, employee management, surveys and referral programs. This helps companies manage employees quicker and save money.

The company's Talent Platform for larger clients to access iCIMS' localized career centers, geographic and divisional reporting capabilities and multi-lingual employment applications and forms.

"We are incredibly proud of this remarkable achievement," Colin Day, president and CEO of iCIMS, said in a press release. "Over 700 organizations are now using the iCIMS Talent Platform to support their HR initiatives, many of whom are not only taking advantage of our talent acquisition solution but are also utilizing the platform’s end-to-end Talent Management capabilities.

"We are fully confident in our ability to maintain our position as one of the largest providers of talent acquisition solutions, as well as in our ability to continue this momentum and see even more growth within the space," Day continued.

Labels: HR tracking software