Jobsharing key to retaining staff: report

Jobsharing would be key to attracting and retaining employees in the IT&T sector and was a solution to the current skills shortage, according to research released by recruitment consulting firm Hudson.

The survey — of more than 8000 Australian employers — found that an overwhelming 88 percent of those providing a jobshare program in the IT&T sector believed it had improved their ability to attract and retain staff.

Jobsharing involves two or more individuals working in a part-time capacity to fulfil one full-time position. This trend was gaining traction in Europe and America but was still relatively under-used in Australia, Hudson said.

Only 29 percent of local IT&T employers currently provided a jobshare program to staff, Hudson found.

Further, 48 percent of IT&T employers and 73 percent of all job seekers surveyed would consider jobsharing as a work option now or in the future, the company said.

Vilma Faoro, national practice leader at Hudson, said the IT&T sector was lagging behind the national average which could be due to the intrinsic nature of the roles and work environment.

“The IT&T sector is highly client reactive and the work is both project-oriented and time driven, with the perception that employees need to be available on call 24/7. This perception is a barrier for this sector to adopt and embrace flexible work solutions,” he said.