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It comes as no surprise that the job market is starting to pick up again. With a business-as-usual attitude, companies all across the country are looking to increase profits, boost sales and make up for time lost due to the chaos of 2020.

Businesses know that one of the best ways to spike their growth is to increase their sales, and of course, increasing sales means creating a team of competent and knowledgeable salespeople.

Ads have been flooding the local job market. In fact, the number of positions advertised nationally has increased to an all time high, compared to figures from March of 2020, and each month the number of job postings continues to grow steadily (Source: Seek).

This is excellent news for the Australian economy, right?

A booming labour market filled with fresh new positions just waiting to be filled by eager jobseekers. The only problem is when employers post their job ads, the only reply they seem to be getting is – crickets.

That’s right—complete silence.

Even though there are ample opportunities available, quality applications are scarce. Are Australian employees just not interested in sales positions anymore? Is there some unknown force out there that keeps them away from applying for job opportunities in the sales industry? We don’t think so. We believe there is a perfect explanation for this shift in the job-seeker mentality.

COVID-19.

Yup, you heard us.

The virus that affected all aspects of our lives and our health has also had a significant impact on how our job market is currently functioning.

One of the biggest challenges that people across Australia, and all over the world, have had to face over the last year is uncertainty. We have all encountered challenges and struggles and have had to look into a future that seems foggy and muddled. It’s hard to know what’s going to happen next when everything is changing from day to day, and it’s hard to feel confident about anything at all when the world we thought we knew has been altered beyond recognition.

This general feeling of hesitation has entered the job market as well and is one of the main driving factors behind a lack of applications, specifically in the sales market. People are cautious about changing jobs. In a world where nothing feels secure, job security is paramount, and many people can’t justify giving up that feeling of safety. They would prefer to stick it out where they are until things become a little clearer.

Another force behind this trend is the fact that many companies previously relied upon talent from overseas markets. New applications from around the globe used to flood our talent pools, creating a more balanced demand and supply. Unfortunately, travel bans have put a stop to this, and we no longer have access to an unlimited pool of qualified candidates, meaning that more and more positions continue to go unfilled.

If all of this sounds a little scary, don’t worry. Not all companies are experiencing stagnant growth due to the decline in labor market supply; innovative companies are actually thriving. By improving their employee value proposition, the right people are finding it hard to refuse their job offers. Better compensation packages, an increase in employee recognition, and providing job security are just a few ways that these businesses are enticing the right salespeople to come aboard.

They also know the value of partnering with a good agency – one who knows the sales industry’s job market and can match the right people with the right positions – an agency like bta Sales.



When you work with us, you don’t have to spend an eternity listening to the crickets chirp while you wait for the proper application to appear in your inbox. We will scout out the right match for your company, bringing you only the best – no matter what the current job market looks like.