Job market showing signs of revival

The job market in the freight industry at the start of this year was “grim”, according to Lee Botti of Lee Botti and Associates – and two other major players in recruitment agreed with this finding. “There have been a lot of retrenchments, companies closing branches, a lot of posts being offered on contract and not permanent, and the jobs section in newspaper classified ads getting very slim,” she told FTW. “However, the good news is that it has been looking a bit brighter in more recent times.” Looking back at the first quarter of this year, it’s been “an unpredictable market”, according to Dr Lynn Ribton- Turner of Ribton-Turner Recruitment. “The requests for staffing over the period have surged and then fallen off – so it has been a ‘stop-start’ period,” she added. Her records show that clients are still searching for sound sales executives with a record of success – and there’s a definite requirement for skilled import candidates (both air and ocean). “It appears that we are not yet out of the woods with regard to retrenchments, downsizing and ‘short’ working weeks,” Ribton- Turner said, “although, for a niche company, we are very busy with the job requests we have received. “But, in talking to many forwarders we hear that revenues are still somewhat down. And, although volumes are slowly on the rise, the profitability of the file (due to the strong rand and smaller shipments) is not what it has been.” Talking to Samantha Konkol, head of the freight division of recruitment company PAG, her first thought was that the market had definitely turned. She agreed that the kickoff to the year had been “a bit grim”. “But,” she then added, “it has started picking up since April – although available posts have tended to be top level appointments. “Placements have mostly been middle and senior management, and senior sales and business development staff.” Another trend found specifically amongst freight clients has been that they’re no longer just looking for someone to fill a post. “Rather,” she told FTW, “they are looking for people with proven, high skills levels.” As part of its social responsibility portfolio, PAG has extended its employment familiarisation and training programme for potential freight staff with disabilities – which will now include youth-level candidates. “We have compiled a full basic training guide,” Konkol said, “and are applying it to disabled candidates, now starting from school-leaving level and upwards.”