Survey reveals large companies hold recruitment edge

With the Australian recruitment market as competitive than ever, securing and maintaining your employees becomes even more imperative.

According to a recent Robert Half Australia survey, large businesses have the upper hand in recruitment, while small organisations are having a tougher time. Overall, the hiring market remains a tough to crack with 61 per cent of the 100 human resource executives stating it was somewhat challenging. 

Just 14 per cent said recruitment wasn't difficult for their business.

However, the contrast of opinions between executives from different sized organisations was the real highlight of the survey. Close to four in ten (37 per cent) of small businesses have trouble finding the best talent, compared to 18 per cent of larger organisations.

The trend was the same with concerns about losing their top-performing employees. The survey found 89 per cent of small business HR executives were worried about workers leaving, compared to 82 per cent of medium enterprises and just 79 per cent of large organisations.

Director at Robert Half, Andrew Morris, said the issue lies with the amount of resources available to smaller businesses.

"Small businesses may not always be able to compete with their large competitors when it comes to remuneration, advancement and training," he said.

"However, research confirms that small firms generally either match or exceed large companies when it comes to mentoring, employee recognition and flexible hours."

Mr Morris said it is important individual businesses analyse their recruitment processes and tools so when opportunities to arise, the organisation is in a position to take advantage.

To attract and retain the best talent, one answer could be recruitment software that can streamline your system and easily manage and track job applications. It is also much simpler to sort skill sets to ensure the right people are hired for the size and scope of your business.