The year in review and expected trends for 2014

Jon on December 31, 2013

Market focus: Australian technology and digital recruitment industry

It has been an interesting market generally in 2013. While we continued to experience consistent demand for talent in our area of focus, the market seemed generally a bit reserved. We feel that in part this was to do with an unusually long election cycle. It was as though some businesses at the higher end of the economic food chain were waiting for an outcome before they committed to significant investments in people and major projects. Additionally we observed ongoing structural changes across publishing, telco, banking and retail. Some industries are embracing change faster than others but there has been a significant shift towards business growth opportunities in digital customer / audience, devices, cloud services, data and insights. Organisations are seeking to develop new ways to monetise and leverage their core assets in emerging channels and markets in the face of emerging or imminent competition from new entrants.

We feel strongly that many RPO and large scale panels are being challenged around specialist talent demands. Running recruitment as a process either internally or as an outsourced service is a volume based, margin driven exercise. Most panels and arrangements have been built on this model. This has worked well for general sourcing across a large business hiring across their traditional roles which for most has been a more efficient means to control recruitment costs. For the past couple of years these traditional arrangements have started to fail in key specialist areas that are part of a broader structural change in the economy.

There is some great talent locally but the vast majority is fully utilised in high demand technology, digital media and marketing. With the levels of demand and growth we are experiencing there is no doubt our clients will continue to look internationally for returning and migrating talent to meet growing demand for talent in certain pockets.

Specialist areas of demand require specialist expertise, international research based sourcing, market mapping, developing new employer propositions and cross market competitive intelligence. A low margin, volume based model tends not to support these activities in a sustainable way.

Our main points for 2014:

In short we expect to see companies re-calibrate their recruitment strategies for certain categories including change and innovation that will support significant hiring growth in these areas through 2014 and beyond.

We expect to see a continuation of demand for international talent in these categories but also an increase in demand for talent in overseas markets driving more competition locally for top tier expertise. A falling Australian dollar could exacerbate this issue making other markets more attractive to talent here and opportunities here less economic for offshore talent.

We are also expecting to see more clients looking to grow from ANZ into international jurisdictions particularly within strategic Asian markets where they will need to compete for executive and specialist talent. This will also require new strategies and sensitivity to the cultural nuances, opportunities and challenges that these markets present.

Jon Tanner on LinkedIn.

Author

Inspired by the internet boom, Jon Tanner co-founded the MitchelLake Group in 2001 and has been advising startup, scale-up and enterprise clients on leadership, executive search and talent acquisition for digital ventures and initiatives for the best part of two decades.

Whether the challenge is about inspiring change, driving growth or entering new markets, it is likely that Jon has a reference-able story, insight or introduction that can help shed light on a way forward.

As Group CEO and Managing Partner of our global search practice, Jon is based in Singapore and works across our international hubs in APAC, North America, and Europe. He directly supports global clients, collaborating with the broader MitchelLake team and continuing to build our collective ecosystem of exceptional talent and partner organisations.

Jon is an active early stage investor and passionate supporter of entrepreneurs, ventures and innovation in Asia Pacific and beyond, including interests in SocietyOne, Biteable, Blackbird VC and Genos International.

Back at the beginning again

Jon on November 23, 2013

Thanks to a couple of awards nights recently this 12 year old is feeling a little bit like an over night success.

I recently caught up with a good friend who had just arrived back very pumped from their induction at a very large digital business based in Menlo Park. My comment over lunch was that with all the massive investments we have seen in digital customer channels, devices, data and insights over the last two decades it still feels like we are only 10% of the way through this wave of change. His response “they were talking one percent where I’ve just been”.

When Phaedon and I started MitchelLake in 2001 we had no idea that 12 years later we would still have the opportunity to feel like an overnight success. It has been equally challenging and rewarding to build a business out of the wreckage of the tech boom that occurred in the late 90’s. Over the past decade we have seen businesses in our ecosystem startup from nothing to become global mainstream brands. We continue to see devices invented that begin as curiosities transcend to become possessions you struggle to imagine life without only a few short years later. It seems every accessory will soon come with the option of being smart and connected. Light bulbs, toys, watches, glasses and ninja blocks (if you haven’t seen them look them up, they’re fun).

Our journey so far has provided us with an abundance of opportunities to meet and work with many incredibly clever, passionate, and motivated people many of whom we are now fortunate to regard as close friends, colleagues and collaborators. We have also been lucky to be woven into the narrative of some fantastically successful ventures and projects. Not all have been roaring triumphs but even those that have failed have generated lessons, focus and inspiration to build the foundations of significant progress.

Last Friday night we were genuinely excited and grateful to be awarded “best boutique agency” at the Thomson Reuters Recruitment Excellence Awards. This came a week after the BRW again included us as one of Australia’s 100 fastest growing companies. I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank our brilliant team (present and alumni) and all the outstanding individuals and organisations who have worked with us as candidates, clients, suppliers and partners over the past twelve years.

Things just keep getting faster, smarter and more connected. Here’s to riding out the rest of this wave. It may yet be bigger than we originally thought.

Jon Tanner on LinkedIn

Author

Inspired by the internet boom, Jon Tanner co-founded the MitchelLake Group in 2001 and has been advising startup, scale-up and enterprise clients on leadership, executive search and talent acquisition for digital ventures and initiatives for the best part of two decades.

Whether the challenge is about inspiring change, driving growth or entering new markets, it is likely that Jon has a reference-able story, insight or introduction that can help shed light on a way forward.

As Group CEO and Managing Partner of our global search practice, Jon is based in Singapore and works across our international hubs in APAC, North America, and Europe. He directly supports global clients, collaborating with the broader MitchelLake team and continuing to build our collective ecosystem of exceptional talent and partner organisations.

Jon is an active early stage investor and passionate supporter of entrepreneurs, ventures and innovation in Asia Pacific and beyond, including interests in SocietyOne, Biteable, Blackbird VC and Genos International.