Page 6 - Adnews Magazine January 2022

Editor’s Letter
Talented reflections and a perfect stuff-up
Many thanks to the more than 40 industry leaders who contributed our prediction and perspec- tive articles, looking back at the challenges of 2021 and the promise of this year.
One recurring theme was the talent crisis. A number of factors have com-
bined, something of a perfect
stuff-up rather than storm.
The arrival of the pandemic saw companies, fearing a deep and continuing slump in the economy, cut back on staff.
When the initial months of confusion and lockdowns eased, many agencies were unready to deal with the sud- den pickup in work, and the rise in ad spend as brands sought market share.
And then the flow of talent — particularly those regulars from the UK — stopped as bor- der restrictions kept the world from Australia.
An interesting aside here is that we have reports of UK agencies bemoaning the lack of Australians and New Zealanders.
Melissa Fein, CEO,
Initiative Australia: “We went from a never-ending talent race to a talent crisis.
“Being locked back down saw many reconsider their personal sense of purpose and what they want from their careers. Luckily, three years of reinventing our people and culture offering and building flexible working frameworks meant we were ahead of this, but it pushed us to accelerate innovation in fresh areas.”
Aimee Buchanan, CEO, ANZ, GroupM: “We have
seen the discussion on the great resignation, and we are desperately feeling the talent shortage as an industry that has long come to rely on people from overseas, as we saw our borders stay closed in 2021. Churn is at an all-time high in adland here in Australia
and vacancy rates the highest they have been in four years. With so much outside of our control, the pressure is mount- ing on our staff to keep the wheels on and many people managing their work and kids in the confines of their home.”
Clay Gill, CEO at Matterkind: “Talent shortages and the rapid growth of programmatic has led to a suffocating dearth in talent. But the silver lining here was finding talent in remote parts of our country. Talent that doesn’t fit the norm. Talent that’s been overlooked yet can transform our industry. 2022 will bring a rapid change in talent diversity that is much needed, and with it a level of empathy we could all adopt.”
Tom Frazer, Managing Partner & General Manager, Half Dome: “Lots of businesses
bunkered down, with the better ones using it as an opportunity to review operations and objectives. Now we are on the other side (hopefully!) change is on everyone’s lips. We expect to see this be reflected in more pitches, heightened expectations, and the rise of specialist agencies who are able to meet the growing demand of more sophisticated businesses. Those busi- nesses who continue to invest in wellbeing, flexibil- ity, learning and development are the ones who will no doubt come out the other side in front.”
EDITOR
CHRIS PASH
www.adnews.com.au | January-February2022 6