JOB SEEKERS PUT FAMILY ABOVE MONEY

AUSTRALIAN job seekers are putting their families ahead of their pay packet this year, while fancy job titles don't seem to rate any more.

According to recruitment specialists Hudson, work-life balance is the top priority for Australian job seekers in 2015.

Around 70 per cent of Australian hiring experts identified work-life balance as the highest priority for job seekers, ahead of higher salaries and career progression.

Hudson executive general manager Dean Davidson says employers should keep work-life balance "firmly on the agenda" in 2015.

"No longer just a buzz term or the domain of the working mum, work-life balance is now fundamental to Australian professionals," he says.

The 2014 Australian Work and Life Index, published by the University of South Australia, says 69 per cent of men and 58 per cent of women in full-time work are satisfied with their current work-life balance.

However, it also reports that managers and professionals are less likely to be satisfied with their current work-life balance than workers in other occupations.

Hudson's 2015 Hiring Report surveyed 3000 hiring experts on nine attributes considered important to job seekers.

Higher salaries is the second highest priority, followed by cultural fit, career progression, and better benefits.

Company values and strong management rank in the lower half, while a better company brand and a better job title rank lowest of all.

Davidson says the high ranking of "cultural fit" is an important find.

"The fact that cultural fit that feeling of belonging is so far up the value chain, and is actually the most important factor for senior executives, demonstrates that fitting in and feeling valued are also important priorities for Australian job seekers in 2015," he says.