HSE Job Market Report - May 2022

Persistent wide-scale talent shortages are driving job market momentum, even as new challenges and socio-economic global headwinds threaten the local employment market.

Keep reading for more information on the latest Workplace Health, Safety and Environment Job Market trends.

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The Safe Step HSE Job Opportunities Index

This edition of The Safe Step HSE Opportunities Index is being reported post the federal election, but the data was collected for the 3-month period up to May. In the normal course of events, Federal elections and international uncertainty put a hold on the job market (particularly when a change in government is possible). Not this time around! 

In April 2022 The Safe Step HSE Job Opportunity Index was incredibly strong, sitting only 1% lower than the record level established in November 2021. The high achieved in April was a marked recovery from an unusually slow December/January, largely attributable to the Omicron variant.

The National Safe Step HSE Opportunities Index has risen 17.7% over the past 12-months, but is up 13% over the past 3 months demonstrating the strong start to 2022. Growth this year has been evenly shared between Permanent and Contract/Temporary work. The former rose 12.4% in the quarter, the latter by 14.9%. 

A stronger sense of momentum can be seen by longer term trends. Temporary and Contract work flourished early in the pandemic as employers recruited cautiously. Other than the frenetic market seen in October/November as lockdowns ended, the “contingent” jobs market for HSE professionals has barely moved compared to this time last year.

By way of contrast the permanent jobs market were, unsurprisingly, lacklustre in 2020 but picked up in 2021 as employers became more confident of their future operating in the new world of Covid 19. Omicron definitely held employers back in January, but many have returned to the market since then.

Strong growth was experienced across all the major markets over the past 12-months. Several Index highs were experienced which included New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. Growth experienced was over the 12-month period by 33.6% up in NSW, 25.7% in VIC and 9.8% in QLD which all contributed to the new record levels. 

Conversely, Western Australia grew by a more modest 6.7% and looks tepid compared to the east coast markets. 

These results underscore the need for organisations to have an active pipeline of candidates is critical roles and employ a multi-faceted approach to be successful. Short term solutions are obviously important however the medium term should also be a focus.

Most major sectors have grown strongly over the past 12-months with Construction sector being the notable exception. Opportunities in Professional Services, Mining and Manufacturing all grew by over 30% over the corresponding period over 12-months.

Job seekers will face stiffer competition in Construction where opportunities have contracted again. This is the third quarter in the last twelve months where demand has declined which is a strong indicator of the market turning in this sector in advance of other industries.

The Safe Step HSE Opportunities Index saw all occupational groups show strong demand but the standout was for early career roles. HSE Co-ordinator level roles are a record high level. 

Demand over the past 12-months for HSE Coordinators is up a whopping 180% compared to this time last year. This would seem to indicate that most companies have decided at the same time to grow there own after 12 months of fruitless searches for experienced talent. 

At the end of the reporting period on a single day there were more than 1,363 Safety Advisor positions and 1,394 Safety Coordinator roles advertised nationally on SEEK. That’s a lot of competition for the same small group of active job seekers! What does that mean? A Sydney business looking for a HSE Coordinator will be competing against 490 other ads on SEEK if they advertised in mid-May. A Perth business seeking a HSE Advisor will have to ensure their job ad stands out amongst 344 competing listings.

Supply at this level in the market is not able to keep up so the talent shortage currently is simply being shifted from one organisation to the next when candidates decide to make a move.

Opportunities volumes are understandably low at the HSE Executive level but the pandemic has certainly been beneficial for those at the most senior level of the profession. Demand has more than doubled over the two years of the pandemic and grew by 46% over the past 12-months. The pace of growth has however slowed (to just 8.1%) in the latest three-month period.

The most significant rise in the last 3 months was a massive 39.0% rise for Environmental specialists. For those currently in more generalist roles this could be a great area to focus job search activities and additional training and development.