The tight labour market in Australia is forcing HR managers to get creative with how they source and nurture talent within companies.

With most industries nationwide citing staff shortages and difficulty recruiting for vacant roles as key factors limiting productivity, it is clear that for businesses to thrive, drastic action is needed.

This has caused HR managers and recruiters to start rethinking how they go about filling roles.

Historically, some companies had an excellent reputation for being places employees could work to grow their careers. Employees of these companies have been able to ‘start in the mailroom,’ as the cliché goes, and work themselves up to key positions within the company leadership.

However, for the most part, Australian companies have always been keen to bring in new blood, with recruitment heavily focused on attracting outside talent. This has the benefit of introducing fresh ways of doing things which can drive innovation and promote excellence.

However, in today’s tight labour market, old ways of recruiting and managing staff just aren’t working anymore.

This is driving a rethink about the value of existing staff – and maybe that is a good thing!

Filling the gap

HR managers tasked with filling roles within organisations are finding that there is a war for good talent.

Not only is it difficult to attract applications, once applicants are invited to an interview, it’s difficult to even get them through the door. Record numbers of applicants simply don’t turn up for their interviews.

As frustration sets in and companies limp along with key roles vacant, it is often the existing staff who pick up the slack. In many cases, these staff have been filling in for more senior roles but have been overlooked for promotion because of a lack of relevant qualifications.

This is why responsive HR managers are starting to look at ways to upskill these high potential existing staff members, facilitating their promotion into more senior roles that help keep things ticking along.

Through partnering with Registered Training Organisations, staff can quickly obtain qualifications that enable them to step into new roles effectively.

Workplace training courses in everything from business to health give staff practical skills, while enabling them to fast-track their progress through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).

Post-graduate qualifications with RPL are available to help staff step into management roles.

Human Resource management has always been about keeping the good ones and recruiting the best ones. But when finding new recruits is a challenge, we can work with turning good to best!