It is not Carl Hayman in his pomp, but it is also not that much different from a well-performing forward pack on the rugby field.
The Scrum Master uses a specifically designed software package to oversee individual team members in a business or work environment as they communicate and exchange ideas to finesse a project quickly, ensuring its delivery on time. Much of the work is conducted remotely.
It is one of a whole raft of new roles borne of the Covid-19 pandemic and is part of a triumvirate of evolving trends facing recruiters and employers alike.
Along with the emergence of new jobs, recruiters report significant challenges in helping employers attract and retain staff.
While some suggest the upper hand at the short-list interview stage had shifted in favour of candidates, others believe the tough times of the last year have resulted in the pendulum swinging back to a more balanced position.
At least one recruiter is certain the employment landscape faces sweeping changes and is unlikely to ever return to what was considered the norm pre-Covid.
Platinum Recruitment director Dean Delaney uses himself as an example of how the landscape has morphed over the past three years. He calls it the "great reset".
"One day a week I finish at 2.30pm to pick my daughter up from school and on another day, I start later to take her to school.
"Would I have done that prior to Covid? Probably not."
Mr Delaney said the first lockdown in March 2020 changed everything.
"That day as lockdown kicked in, many of us left the office with our laptops and forced to work from home, found a way to connect. That remains the way a lot of people continue to work today.
"It’s industry specific. A shearing gang can’t operate like that but for many it’s become the norm," he said.
"The interviewing process had also changed in recent times. Employers are having to come up with ways to sell their position and company to prospective employees because the applicant has a choice. If employers aren’t prepared to do that, they lose the ability to attract and retain staff.
"Gone are the days where the employer asked all the questions. It’s almost completely reversed with the employer having to make the sales pitch rather than the other way around."
Mr Delaney remained convinced the overall motivating factor for job applicants was remuneration.
"It was probably always the case but, pre-Covid, that tended to be sugar-coated. The reality of an increasing cost of living, the looming recession and higher mortgage rates mean people are moving for money."
He was also concerned about the long-term social ramifications of so many people working from home, saying there was a distinct loss of social interaction.
Crew Consulting director Tom Sweeney does not entirely believe money is the primary motivating factor.
"We’ve been working with our customer base on their retention strategies. About 12 months ago there was a lot of movement due to crazy salaries being thrown about. That’s changed and people are now not just after the money.
"They want to be with a company that has purpose, has meaningful work, looks after their staff, has sustainability targets, offers good benefits and flexible working hours, and is a nice place to work," he said.
Mr Sweeney reports a 44% increase in jobs in Dunedin in the first five months of 2023 compared with the same period in 2020. Many of these positions are in information technology with the more traditional IT jobs now in competition with recent additions to the market.
Conventional IT positions comprise the likes of systems and business analysts, IT managers, developers and help desk support staff. Charging over the horizon in the last three years have been the likes of cloud engineers, application engineers and those scrum masters.
"Recruitment has changed in the last few years," Mr Sweeney said.
"There is more to recruitment than finding jobs for people. There has to be value added across consulting with clients, career development, marketing and other areas."
Many more people to fill the IT roles were needed in Otago, Mr Sweeney said.
He pointed to the hospital build and other key projects now under way or proposed, suggesting the tech talent pool was "getting tighter and tighter".
Your People Recruitment managing director Warwick McArthur said employers were still being selective and he believed it was a fine balance between employer and potential employee.
"Employers are generally willing to offer attractive remuneration to the person with the required skills and experience, if the business can afford that cost.
"The balance comes with companies strongly promoting themselves at the advertising stage and then the employee and candidate evaluating each other at the interview. Candidates are now very keen on opportunities to develop, receiving training for specific roles and how their employment will benefit their long-term career," he said.
Mr McArthur has seen an increase in the number of roles compared with pre-Covid, especially in the technical, professional, construction, sales and trade-qualified sectors, while the availability of administration positions had decreased.
Another to report strong growth in jobs advertised and new roles appearing is Marlene Langford, senior consultant at Fluid Recruitment.
"Numbers are well up on pre-Covid, about 40%," Ms Langford said.
"And a lot of that increase encompasses positions created to future-proof businesses, the likes of digging deep into data to predict trends, and planning and preparation for new legislation.
"Many sectors are becoming a lot more proactive, looking to work out how to move more quickly to changing circumstances than might have been the case in the past."
Ms Langford agreed that while a year ago the candidate held all the aces come interview time, that has shifted due to some of the incentives offered being unsustainable.
"It was definitely a lolly scramble for much of last year with huge pressure to hire for many businesses. But towards the end of 2022 businesses identified the fact that couldn’t go on and things have settled to a large degree. There has been a distinct cooling off," she said.
One Staff chief executive Jon Ives said the worker shortage had forced businesses into working harder on their employment propositions and to review their strategies to compensate for the change in talent and skill level.
"However, recent market uncertainty with immigration open and business confidence dropping, and with the rising cost of living and inflation taking effect, locally we have seen a more conservative approach from employers.
"Election years also add uncertainty, especially when they are closely run. So, tying in with economic predictions for an inflation cap toward the end of the year, certainty of outcome in this space will also help to get things back to normal for the mid-term and a more balanced employer-employee setting," he said.
— Steve Davie
