Are mothers overlooked by headhunters?

Press Release: 7 January 2008

Survey: Skilled mums being overlooked by recruitment firms

Over 78% of respondents found recruitment firms to be unhelpful in their quest to find a flexible or part time job, according to a new CareerMums survey of 220 respondents.Kate Sykes, Founder of www.careermums.com.au said “Recruiters have a fantastic opportunity to persuade their clients to implement more flexible work practices and attract great candidates. With a national skills shortage, this strategy has great potential to generate ongoing business and loyalty from their clients.

Demand for flexibility has led to the creation of boutique recruitment firms making a difference to the lives of job seekers wanting flexible roles. Priorities (Melbourne), Dare Two Share (Sydney), and Seed Recruitment (Sydney) are some examples of new recruitment firms specialising in flexible roles.”

67% of respondents found that finding a flexible job was one of the biggest barriers in returning to work. The types of work flexibility our respondents were looking for included:

1. Work from home arrangements some of the week – 53%
2. Part time (reduced days) – 51%
3. Part time (school hours) – 38%
4. Part time (reduced hours) – 28%
5. Stop working during school holidays – 24%
6. Job share – 23%

Emma Walsh, founder of consulting firm Mums@Work, believes that the challenge many organisations face is how to achieve a successful balance between flexibility and productivity. “We have designed a simple proposal template that enables managers and employees to explore flexible work options that address productivity and staff issues. The end result is to negotiate a flexible work arrangement that is mutually beneficial.”

www.careermums.com.au currently has around 7,000 registered job seekers looking for flexible and part time work.

Contact:
Kate Sykes, Founder & Director – www.careermums.com.au
ph: (02) 6161 0128 / ph: 0400 823 914
email: info@careermums.com.au