EMPLOYER ATTITUDE SURVEYS – AUSTRALIA

Director Sentiment rebounds from post-pandemic low

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 17-Apr-25

The latest director sentiment survey from the Australian Institute of Company Directors shows an improvement in both economic and business conditions for the first half of 2025. This AICD survey of 1,127 company directors was conducted by Roy Morgan between 19 February and 6 March. While the Director Sentiment Index (DSI) remains in negative territory for the sixth consecutive survey (-23.9), it has lifted nearly 10 points, the strongest improvement since 2021. Meanwhile, only 25% of directors now believe that a recession is likely within the next 12 months, compared with 46% in the second half of 2024. However, nine out of 10 directors believe that escalating trade tensions under the Trump presidency threaten the economic outlook for both Australia and the world. Global uncertainty is now the top economic challenge facing Australian businesses, surpassing productivity growth and cost of living. Concerns over global protectionism have also increased significantly.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPANY DIRECTORS, ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Employers using internal transfers to retain staff

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Original article by Euan Black
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 30-Oct-24

Research by Mercer has found that seven per cent of Australian employers now regularly use internal secondment and job rotation programs for their staff, compared with just three per cent in 2020. Cynthia Cottrell from Mercer says internal mobility programs create a strong culture and increase employee engagement, which can in turn boost productivity. Cottrell adds that more employers are prioritising these programs as they shift their focus from recruiting staff to retaining their top performers. CSL and Afterpay’s parent Block are amongst the companies that have such programs.

CORPORATES
MERCER CONSULTING GROUP INCORPORATED, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, AFTERPAY LIMITED, BLOCK INCORPORATED – ASX SQ2

Don’t expect pay rises, warn 40pc of CEOs

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Original article by Matthew Cranston, John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 16-Jul-19

The Executive Connection’s latest survey of CEOs shows that more than 37 per cent expect their employees to receive no pay rise in 2019, or at best an increase of no more than two per cent. A third of respondents expect pay rises of 2-3 per cent, and 14 per cent expect wages to increase by at least four per cent. Meanwhile, 66 per cent have indicated that they are either adopting or considering flexible working conditions to attract and retain top staff, while 30 per cent are seeking to reduce labour costs by investing in automation.

CORPORATES
THE EXECUTIVE CONNECTION PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, McDONALD’S AUSTRALIA LIMITED, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, HUNGRY JACK’S PTY LTD, BIG W DISCOUNT STORES, KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB

Employer dissatisfaction with bargaining process rising

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 21-Mar-19

The findings of a survey by law firm Ashurst would appear to support a recent claim by Labor leader Bill Shorten that the enterprise bargaining system is ‘broken’. The survey of 160 companies in the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 found that 31 per cent have old enterprise agreements in place, up from 21 per cent in 2017. Likewise, 39 per cent of respondents said it takes 12 months to negotiate a new workplace agreement, compared with 30 per cent previously. Some companies indicated that their enterprise agreement expired more than four years ago.

CORPORATES
ASHURST AUSTRALIA, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Small biz bosses in fear of Labor

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Original article by Adam Creighton
The Australian – Page: 15 & 18 : 25-Jan-19

The Executive Connection’s CEO Confidence Index fell 10 points to 112 in December, the first consecutive decline in two years. The Index is based on responses from around 110 small business owners, with nearly 60 per cent stating that a Labor government would be bad for their business. Labor has foreshadowed a series of tax increases that are tipped to raise $200 billion over a decade, although it has proposed a more generous investment allowance. Over 70 per cent of small business leaders surveyed expect that property prices will continue to fall.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, SYDNEY, MYOB GROUP LIMITED – ASX MYO, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP

Skills shortage hits a third of employers

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 5-Jul-18

Some 34 per cent of Australian businesses have reported a shortage of skilled labour in a Manpower Group survey. This compares with 38 per cent in 2016 and 54 per cent in 2011. Richard Fischer of Manpower notes that Australian employers have been actively investing in staff training and upskilling in the wake of the global financial crisis. The survey also shows that companies are looking at options such as flexible working arrangements and greater use of temporary workers and freelancers.

CORPORATES
MANPOWER INCORPORATED, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Secret survey shows tax cuts won’t go to jobs

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Original article by Laura Tingle, Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 27-Mar-18

Business Council of Australia members were asked in a recent survey how they would respond in the event of company tax cuts. They were given four options: returning funds to shareholders; boosting investment; giving current employees a pay rise; or hiring more staff. It is understood that less than 20 per cent chose either of the last two options. The responses seem to be at odds with a letter that the BCA and 10 prominent CEOs sent to all senators in the week ending 23 March, in which it suggested that implementing tax cuts would ultimately lead to more jobs and greater wage growth.

CORPORATES
BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, MYOB GROUP LIMITED – ASX MYO, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, ENERGYAUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, JBS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES

Miners lead confidence surge

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Original article by Matt Chambers, Sarah-Jane Tasker
The Australian – Page: 15 & 21 : 24-Jan-18

The latest Mining Business Outlook survey by Newport Consulting shows that mining company executives are upbeat about the outlook for commodity prices in 2018. The survey found that 75 per cent of respondents are "cautiously optimistic" and 17 per cent are "very optimistic" about the outlook. Meanwhile, 42 per cent of respondents expect to "moderately" increase spending in 2018, and about 25 per cent intend to hire additional staff. CEOs in the manufacturing, construction and services industries are also positive about the outlook in 2018, according to a separate survey by the Australian Industry Group.

CORPORATES
NEWPORT CONSULTING PTY LTD, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, RESMED INCORPORATED – ASX RMD, MACQUARIE BANK LIMITED – ASX MBL, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT, INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND

Students’ skills no issue for employers

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Original article by Stephen Fitzpatrick
The Australian – Page: 5 : 9-Jan-18

Universities Australia’s Catriona Jackson has downplayed the findings of an employer satisfaction survey which showed that many graduates do not think their degree has much relevance to their job. Jackson argues that employers’ satisfaction regarding all key graduate metrics has increased since the survey was undertaken in 2017, and more than four out of five employers are satisfied with the graduates whom they employ. National Tertiary Education Union president Jeannie Rea in turn says the focus should be on whether graduates consider their degree to be relevant after they have been in the workforce for several years.

CORPORATES
UNIVERSITIES AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NATIONAL TERTIARY EDUCATION INDUSTRY UNION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP

CFOs lose patience with pace of reform

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Original article by Jacob Greber, Lucille Keen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 16-Jul-15

A quarterly survey of CFOs by Deloitte shows that nearly 74 per cent of respondents think the Australian Government should act more quickly to reduce the Budget deficit. This compares with 54 per cent 12 months earlier. Meanwhile, 56 per cent of CFOs do not expect the small business measures in the May 2015 Budget to do much to boost business investment. However, 68 per cent anticipate that their company’s revenue will rise in the next year.

CORPORATES
DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY