The Geelong HR Index

If you’ve been in Geelong these last few years, there’s no doubt you have witnessed the region change.

In 2019, Geelong was a region on the move. We led the nation in population growth and our economy was confident. We continued to gain momentum and growth across our major sectors. We were a region with strong entrepreneurial endeavour with an incubation hub for the commercialisations of ideas and innovations. We could have been forgiven for assuming we had many of the pieces of our economic jigsaw together.

18 months later as we herald the end of 2020, we see a vastly different picture. When COVID came to town, the landscape changed overnight. The pandemic and the restrictions that were introduced to keep us safe saw the oxygen evaporate from two of our region’s bigger contributors – Education and Tourism. Many industries were challenged, others held steady and yet other sectors flourished.

As a Geelong local I have a vested interest, personally and professionally in the region.

Personally, I am often asked to provide intelligence on the pulse of the region.

Professionally, as Director of Harvest Talent Recruitment and People Solutions arena our clients and stakeholders want to know where Geelong is heading.

The pace of change has been so frenetic that many chief executives, business owners, divisional directors and HR practitioners are still playing catch up.

Instead of receiving the news of change, we decided to create the news. The Harvest HR Index was born.

Our commercial, industrial, HR and careers consultants, with a further helping hand from our dedicated support team, personally reached out to our clients, suppliers, networks and partners asking questions on employment and HR trends. The input from the region’s employers has been invaluable.

We believe that by gaining a clearer picture of Geelong’s employment and HR landscape and sharing this with our community we are taking steps in the right direction.

Maree Herath.

2020 Geelong HR Index – Release of Survey Findings

We surveyed 85 of our region’s employers, to determine how we fared during the COVID pandemic.

“What have been the impacts on employment and what were the key HR trends for the region as a whole and our industries?”

• The impact of COVID – winners and losers
• Employment trends, holistically for the region and across various sectors
• The biggest HR challenge yet
• The support provided by our employers and people managers
• Opportunities that came from the crisis
• Returning to work after COVID
• How quickly we expect to recover
• Key HR initiatives for the future.

Survey release “on the couch” discussion

Harvest Director, Maree Herath  hosts a casual “on the couch” discussion with special guests Justin Giddings CEO Avalon Airport, Lisa Barton HR Operations The Gordon, Jason Doherty Regional GM Lifeline, Brian Cook CEO Geelong Cats , Debra Nash Commercial Director Truffle Duck and Mark Valena CEO GMHBA.

Click here to watch the 2020 Release of the HR Index on You Tube.

Access the 2020 Geelong HR Index

Click to download the Regional Findings

We trust the findings will increase  your understanding of the Geelong region; that you will be able to use the data to respond to challenges, take advantage of opportunities and play your part in the social and sustainable development of our great City.