January 2025 Market Update

It's quiet, everyone is on holiday, the end.

Only kidding (kind of), but January of 2025 has started in typical fashion with a very slow start to year, contributed entirely to the fact that most of Australia's residents are still sunning themselves up on the beach, with many dreading the looming dread of work kicking into life next Tuesday (after the Australia Day long weekend).

That's not to say it's completely dead out there, there have been some shoots of green over the past few weeks with clients reaching out with fresh roles as well as optimism and expectations for a rocky but growth orientated 2025. With Trump now in control of the world's largest economy and the barrage of tariffs yet to be unleashed, we're in a market sitting precariously on the edge, waiting for news before jumping into action.

If you're in the market and looking for the next role, patience is key in January. Now is a time to get your ducks in a row, update the resume, refresh the brain and get ready for the 'new year, new job' mentality for February as hiring managers return to office, shake off the Christmas ham and work on hiring needs for the year.

With little to report on the job front, I thought it might be an idea to outline a couple of trends that I predict for 2025 in our space. These of course are only my predictions but come from conversations with clients late last year and early this when 2025 planning had already concluded.

Take a look and see what you think, I'm interested to hear what you're seeing out there as well.

Digital transformation and AI integration:

Everyone keeps talking about it, no one really knows what it means, but it won't stop businesses investing in transformative pieces of work, embedding AI in to the mainstream of their business functions. Fear of being left behind coupled with a desire to outpace competitors will push financial institutions into prioritising digital innovation in order to enhance value and productivity. A recent KPMG Enterprise survey revealed that 48% of mid-tier business executives focus on digital transformation, with technological advancements like AI being key opportunities.

The return to office:

It's happening, and 2025 will only accelerate the return to the office for the masses. Despite personal opinions and situations, we are seeing clients implement much stricter work from office policies not seen since before COVID. The mood last year was mixed as many employers offered a working flex balance but a recent survey by HR software firm Rippling found that 57% of Australian employers prefer candidates willing to work onsite five days a week. Additionally, 60% are hesitant to consider those unwilling to work beyond contracted hours. Something we've seen more and more off in recruitment briefs. I believe candidate expectations meeting client demands will be the biggest hiring challenge of 2025.

A focus on Growth skillsets:

As was the case with many businesses in 2024, growth continues to dominate the conversation with hiring managers and business leaders. Finding particular skillsets in areas like Growth Marketing, Product Marketing, CRM, Analytics and Performance seem set to dominate the bulk of hiring in 2025 as businesses look to gear up after a fairly fallow 24 months post COVID boom.

With such demand and so few 'growth' titled candidates in the Australian market, it's important to ensure that your resume has the right keywords in it, your experiences highlight what revenue impact your activities have had on business growth and you are showing this with metrics. Commercially minded candidates always come out on top in tight processes.

It is very early in 2025 but from the conversations to date, I am optimistic that 2025 will be vastly different to the trudge and sludge of 2024. It might take a little time to warm up, and be very dependent on an orange man in a White House but hope is eternal.

As always, my door is open for a conversation. If you're exploring new opportunities or want advice on navigating the market, don’t hesitate to reach out. Connect with me on LinkedIn or email me at [email protected]