News Room
TEC In The News
2010/04 - Queensland Businesses look beyond borders to hire
Queensland Businesses Look Beyond
Borders to Hire
April 29 2010
Queensland Business
Review
Most Queensland businesses do not give preference to locally
trained and qualified jobseekers, according to a recent poll of top
executives.
Australia's leading chief executive leadership group, The
Executive Connection (TEC), conducted a poll of its 250 Queensland
members to understand what was important to businesses across the
state and gauge opinions on industrial relations.
When asked if businesses should employ Queensland qualified and
trained people first ahead of those coming from other states,
nearly 70 percent of respondents said 'no'.
Queensland Regional TEC Chair Barry Upfold says while the results
may appear unpatriotic to Queenslanders, it reiterates the
importance of hiring the best person for the job, regardless of
their home state.
"The benefits of local market knowledge can't be denied but this
knowledge can be easily learned whereas a candidate's skills and
experience take time to develop," Upfold says.
"While it is most important for businesses to hire for a
particular role in the present, they should also be considering
whether their candidates have the potential to grow with the
business," he says.
"In this regard it is important to have an internal development
mechanism which both recognises potential and nurtures it for the
future benefit of the candidate and the business."
As the economy steadily improves, Upfold advises now is an
opportune time for businesses to think about how they hire
people.
"As more businesses look to fill the positions they had to let go
during the downturn, the pressure to fill a job opening may cause a
rushed decision, rather than the right decision," he says.
"Hiring slowly is the best way to appoint and manage staff."