The number of vacancies for support roles in the first half of 2024 was about 10% higher than the same period last year. Nevertheless, a slowdown is noticeable in the labour market, Asia Skifati, associate director at recruitment specialist Robert Walters, informs: "Organisations have become more cautious when hiring new staff and are more conscious about their budgets. This results in pickier selections and longer recruitment processes."
On the other hand, we also notice hesitation on the part of job seekers: they show less commitment in their application. Asia: "Specifically, this means that candidates are less transparent, more selective about terms of employment and less quick to make decisions in their search for a new job."
Flexible working hours, the possibility to work from home, office location and working atmosphere have become more important factors for job applicants. Organisations, on the other hand, are leaning more towards working in the office again, especially during the onboarding period. As a result, the needs of both parties can sometimes be difficult to align.
Asia adds, " Moreover, salary expectations of professionals are still quite high. Organisations therefore need to be creative with fringe benefits, such as mobility budgets, for example, in an effort to offer a competitive salary package."
Partly as a result of this difference in needs, organisations are more open to permanent contracts. "Organisations are recruiting more carefully and consciously and want to make a sustainable choice in the process. Talent retention is now a high priority for HR. Companies are therefore more willing to offer a permanent contact immediately, or to shorten the interim period, provided the candidate has the desired skills and acceptable expectations," Asia explains. "By doing so, they hope to increase the chances of bringing in the ideal candidate and, more importantly, retaining them."
Figures from Jobs Data confirm this: for business support vacancies with a permanent contract, we see a 12% increase in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year, while temporary jobs show only a 6% increase.
The support roles most in demand are customer service representatives, sales assistants and HR officers. For temporary jobs, administrative assistants and payroll assistants are particularly in demand.
Organisations mainly look for profiles with an initial experience of 2 to 5 years. However, recent graduates can also find great opportunities, provided they have the right skills and language knowledge.
For business support roles, organisations particularly appreciate driven team players with excellent communication skills.
In terms of language skills, a combination of Dutch and/or French with English is a big plus.
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