Admin staff doing more and getting snapped up, fast!

Throughout next week, New Zealanders will recognise the contributions of secretaries, personal assistants and office staff in one of the largest workplace observances across the globe, Administrative Professionals Week.

However, many admin employees won’t be enjoying time off according to a survey conducted by the International Association of Administration Professionals. Nearly half of the 3 000 respondents saw their office teams shrink, their workloads grow and their duties expand over the past three years.

Penny Smith, Employment Manager of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce says the demand for multi-skilled, multi-talented support staff is growing across their free recruitment services.

“Gone are the days when businesses just wanted a secretary. Now they want a personal assistant with reception skills, IT knowledge and accounts experience. There is a huge demand for these talented support professionals and just not enough of them to satisfy that demand.”

A fact that emerged in the Department of Labour Jobs Online report which saw the number of vacancies posted online in the admin, accounting, HR and legal category rise by 3.8 percent since December 2009.

“The ‘Jacks of all trades’ are getting snapped up quickly by businesses desperate for an array of skills within their teams,” says Penny. “We have a stream of job seekers from every industry coming through our recruitment programmes but some talented admin candidates are with us for barely a week before they secure a job.”

The Chamber’s employment services give businesses recruitment advice and access to a vast resource of multi skilled job seekers, at no cost. To find out more please email psmith@chamber.co.nz

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About the Auckland Chamber of Commerce recruitment services

The Auckland Chamber runs a number of recruitment initiatives aimed connecting businesses with the skills and talent they need in order to grow.

The Chamber houses a number of candidates across a range of disciplines seeking a variety of different working arrangements. We have part-time, full-time, entry-level and professional candidates available to start immediately. Recruitment services are free for both the business and the candidate. Visit www.aucklandchamber.co.nz for more information.