Victoria's rebound accelerating

Twelve months ago this week, Victoria was still in shock from the highs of a successful Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup win and a record-breaking crowd at the MCG, swiftly followed by the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix. James Liley explains.

Twelve months ago Victorians didn’t know what to expect, no one predicted that our economy would be hit so hard and our lockdown restrictions would be more severe than every other state.

Twelve months on and we have to look at the opportunity that has come out of adversity. Businesses are returning to their offices, the trains are busier, the cafes and restaurants in the city are busier and people are genuinely kinder. We will never return to the traditional 9-5 office culture, we have proven that we can pivot, leverage technology, survive and be productive from anywhere in the world.

My Victorian colleagues are all experiencing a greater demand for talent and candidates are starting to feel confident in the market to start looking at opportunities again.

Data from the Victorian Chamber of commerce shows that Victoria’s economy grew 6.8 per cent in the final quarter of 2020, compared with 2.9 per cent for NSW and two per cent for Queensland, and household spending increased 10.4 per cent in Victoria while it increased just 4.3 per cent nationally.

The next year will see continued highs and lows as we roll out a vaccine, manage localised outbreaks, the roll-off of job keeper and the focussed injection of support for those industries struggling to rebound.

As professional recruiters we have to provide innovative solutions to a candidate-short growth market. Our clients will bring us closer as partners and there is a great opportunity to develop deep and consultative relationships. Today’s market provides the perfect opportunity for us to promote the benefits of a diverse and inclusive workforce.

Our experience has brought us closer together, globally, as a country, as a state, as an industry, as APSCo members and as a family. We value the support from our networks, the ability to share and resolve problems and the motivation to celebrate everyone’s successes – however small.

As the economy gathers pace let’s remember to keep our network strong, look out for each other, support each other and remember to check in on your peers as we did in the harshest of lockdown times.

Victoria’s rebound is accelerating; we’re stronger together.