Talent Tidbits – Unemployment rate, Mature talent, Culture and transparency

The real unemployment story
Unemployment rate currently stands at 5.8%. Ross Gittins explains the real reason why the rate continues to be low in Australia – under employment.  The increase in part-time employment , as full-time jobs are shed, is keeping unemployment numbers down.

Mature Talent
One of the most pleasant salesperson I’ve encountered is a semi-retired lady who work two days a week. Unrushed in her approach, she was always calm, quietly determined and seems to really enjoy her work. Commission checks seem to be the farthest thing in her mind. It is a fact that mature age workers offer certain advantages – stability, experience and reliability to name a few. Yet the mature talent pool in our country remains largely untapped.  A new report estimated Australia lost $10.8 billion a year by not utilising the skills of older Australians who want to work. Why the waste? Ageism doesn’t make sense.

Netflix talks culture
Netflix’s presentation/guide on their company culture is widely circulated (Tweeted and 72,000+ views on Slideshare). Besides it being a ‘social media’ success, the guide itself is a triumph of corporate openness and a good ‘employer branding’ strategy. Transparency is the new black.