In New Zealand almost one in four organisations (24 per cent) have employed temporary or contract staff at the senior level over the past year. According to Hays Salary Guide, the result of 900 organisations being surveyed, another six per cent are utilising executive or c-suite candidates for short-term needs. The study also found that 58 per cent also utilising temporary and contract staff at the entry-level and 59 per cent do so at the mid-level.
“Temporary candidates at the senior and executive levels are typically called upon to run a project, manage transformations or provide non-core skills that are only required for a short period of time,” says Adam Shapley, Managing Director of Hays in New Zealand. “The lengthy nature of senior and executive recruitment processes also leads many employers to call in a candidate who can ensure business as usual until a new permanent employee can commence,” he said.
Data from the recruiter shows that 49 per cent of employers look for temporary candidates who can bring problem solving skills to a team. This is followed by technology and digital, trade-specific and communications skills (all on 43 per cent), critical thinking skills (35 per cent), project management skills (25 per cent) and stakeholder engagement skills (15 per cent).
“Short-term assignments call for highly-skilled professionals who can add value from day one with little or no training and deliver specific goals over a short period of time,” said Adam. “Such jobs are not for everyone, but the constant variety, exposure to new systems and flexibility to select which assignments they’ll accept do attract many. Temporary candidates also receive higher hourly rates compared to their permanent colleagues, which is another factor attracting people to this style of working.”
“At the executive level, people looking to advance their career find that the exposure and real-life experience gained in temporary assignments helps them transition up into their first c-suite role. Those executives who are looking to transition down into retirement value the opportunity to work on a few select assignments each year,” her said.
