How has the pandemic influenced the legal job market?
The Australian legal market has evolved in response to COVID-19. The pandemic pushed the flexibility boundaries to its limits and challenged traditional perceptions about the ability to be productive from a home environment.
The current market is extremely candidate-driven, with enhanced flexibility and work-from-home options being negotiated into contracts. According to data, the post- pandemic legal market is seeing “a strong demand for lawyers and a scarce supply at the right levels” – something we experience everyday here at Naiman Clarke. As such, the legal market in Australia is extremely competitive, with candidates having multiple competitive offers, thus firms must act quickly, add incentives, sign-on bonuses and/or 6- month salary reviews in order to efficiently secure candidates.
Furthermore, there is an extraordinary amount of law graduates but minimal amount of quality lawyers on the market at the 3+ PQE level. For law firms, if you see a good candidate come through, you must sell your firm and the opportunity to them. These quality candidates want to feel valued and want to know what you can do to enhance their career.
For more information, click on the PDF links below.
Thomson Reuters | 2021 Australia: State of the Legal Market Report
Prepared by Chelsi Bakaric (Consultant)
11 May 2021