Link: http://acetalentnet.com.au/enews/newsletjul08.html

Well market commentary seems to be suggesting a general slowing in business spending and confidence and aCE talentNET would normally be entering into our quietest time of the financial year. However all seems to suggest otherwise with no sign of budget cuts in the LandD arena evident so far and no sign of reducing enquiry levels for aCE talentNET consultants and contractors (touch wood of course!). Engagements keeping aCE busy at the present time include sourcing trainers in multi-locations for a large nation-wide systems implementation (see below); instructional designers for traditional face-to-face program development; management consultants (customer mapping, scorecards, process improvement etc); Project Team Leader roles; Change Management facilitators; Cultural Change programs; EEO training, Project Management training and more.

As a result of sourcing consultants for role opportunities we have been having numerous discussions with a large number of our Talent Network (new and existing). It is extremely pleasing to see so many of our consultants actively engaged across a number of clients and industries ensuring a depth and breadth of experience that can be bought to the table for aCE clients. We are also constantly amazed at how flexible our Talent Network is on price point, willing to consider lower daily rates in return for interesting projects of a reasonable duration. We are also very happy to receive regular feedback about how well we compare to others in the same field particularly in areas of regular communication, candidate respect, coordination and honesty. Thank you...keep them coming! This is something we pride ourselves on, we are nothing without our Talent Network!

Anyway, that's enough from me. Do read on and remember to visit our BLOG , this is updated most days with interesting articles from both the OD & LandD world but also of wider general interest. So do yourself a favour and make sure you include the aCE talentNET BLOG on your quick reading list each day! Also read below, under "Consultants", about our next initiative to better serve our Consulting community.

Have a great month.

Deirdre Gruiters
Corporate Talent Agent

PS: Any Melbourne consultant looking for an interesting three month project assignment please read more in immediate opportunity below!

read on...

Link: http://www.ere.net/2008/07/31/the-myth-of-a-talent-shortage/#more-3411

by Kevin Wheeler for ERE.net...

We have been bombarded for a decade with news reports, articles, stories, and books about the looming talent shortage about to overwhelm our industries, businesses, and economies.

Taken at face value and looking at traditional work styles and jobs, there is some validity to these stories. Human resources people, recruiters, and some business people will affirm the shortage anecdotally. But it is hard to find real examples and real numbers.

Certainly, anyone trying to hire a surgeon in North Dakota, a Starbucks barista in Oklahoma, or a stock broker in Alaska may have to look long and hard. But if you are looking for these folks in urban areas or places with significant populations, the number of qualified applicants increases substantially.

After all, it has never been easy to attract skilled professionals to rural areas and it has become even more difficult as people leave the country for large cities. Rural parts of the world are emptying into cities, especially those located in coastal areas or those with significant educational and cultural activities.

Richard Floridas books on the Creative Class point out in stark numbers and colorful graphs and charts the shifts in population away from some less desirable, and often semi rural cities and toward others that offer the lifestyle and engaging employment desired by the emerging creative class.

Sure, thousands of baby boomers are poised to retire over the next decade or two and, yes, there are somewhat fewer young folks behind them; but is that really going to be a problem? And will the number of boomers who choose to retire reach the predicted numbers?

Studies I have seen indicate that boomers will most likely defer retirement for some time because they have not saved enough to make retirement possible or because they remain healthy and want to continue working.

We will most likely also need fewer people to reach the same productivity levels of today.

The nature of work has changed dramatically. Today only about 2% of Americans grow food or work on farms. This is truly amazing considering the amount of food produced and exported. Farms have grown much larger and are more automated. Completely automated, GPS guided tractors cultivate fields that used to take a dozen men and several dozen horses to plow.

keep reading...