Six tips to manage during a talent shortage

After two years of not being able to leave the country, it’s completely understandable that people have itchy feet and want to get out of dodge. If you’re a team leader, you probably have noticed the uptick in annual leave requests, particularly requests for long periods of time to accommodate for overseas travel. Clearly, people want to get out there and make up for lost time!

However it’s not just the desire for travel that has Australians jumping on jet planes. A recent AustraliaNOW study shows that 40% of Australians aged 18-29 are looking to move their careers and lives overseas. Combine this 40% with the Australians outside this age bracket who are planning on doing the same thing, it equates to about 600,000 people – eeeep! If they all go ahead with this massive exodus, we could be looking at a potential talent shortage.

You may struggle to replace team members – whether they leave for a new job or a new country – as easily as usual. So what would you do if one of your team members announced they were moving overseas? Or if someone resigned and you were struggling to replace them due to high competition in a small talent pool? Check out some of our ideas to help manage this.

Ask if they’re open to remote work

If one of your team is heading overseas, you can’t ask them to stay in Australia – the wheels are already in motion at this point. However, if they can do the job in their new home country and logistically you can make it work, ask if they’re keen on working remotely. It means they won’t struggle with an exhausting job hunt in a foreign place and you don’t need to find and train a new team member – win win!

Review your benefits and team culture

Take the time to review what you offer your employees in terms of perks, benefits and team culture – the things beyond the job that make people want to work for you. Is what you’re offering on par with your competitors? Could you offer something small that has a big impact on your employees (like one day off a month for wellbeing)? How does your team rate your company culture and could you improve? If you want some simple, practical and affordable ideas, check out our blog.

Invest in your team and promote from within

However before you do that, do a solid review of your training program (or training provider if you use an external company). What kind of training do you offer your team? Would it be enough to upskill another team member so they can move into an empty role that desperately needs filling? Update your training, make tweaks where necessary and then invest in and promote your team members. This all ties into our next point…

Get comfortable hiring juniors

Junior creatives have enthusiasm in leaps and bounds, but don’t necessarily have the skills or experience to fill empty positions. If you do find juniors with potential, invest in them and upskill them with your newly reviewed training program, so they can do some of the work with some guidance from more experienced staff members. They’ll be thrilled that you believe in them enough to invest in them, their future and career and will repay you with outstanding work.

Tap the university student market

Make connections at the universities in your city and start attending career events for third years and grads in your industry. Whether you want interns to take some of the admin work off your hands or are looking for your next new grad hire, attending these events will put you at the front of student’s minds when it comes time to job hunt. Plus, if you get access to the attendee’s email addresses, you’ll be able to contact them directly about internships or grad role opportunities.

Steal the talent back from overseas

Take what’s yours! There are so many amazing creatives living overseas who want to come and work in Australia. Make sure you’re connected with the people who can tap into those markets – like us. We regularly speak to overseas talent who are looking to move to Australia, so if you’re looking to hire someone with international experience, we’re here to help.

Ready to chat about your talent needs? Reach out at hello@creativenatives.com.au today.