Hays Construction - July 2010
Hotspots
Candidates with high rise experience, both office and apartment, are in most demand at present. Project finance can now be attained, allowing developers to move to the next stage of construction. Activity in the office building market in particular is now slowly returning.
Meanwhile the rising level of credit available for large-scale construction and interior fit-out has seen demand rise for candidates with high-end fit-out experience. Site Managers and Foremen/women are very much in demand. Contract Administrators are still sought for all types of building works and for all sized companies, while demand is also fueled by rising large-scale construction work, with some developers and builders now planning projects which had previously stalled due to a lack of credit during the height of the GFC.
Public sector trends
Within the public sector, Town Planners with a minimum of six months experience in statutory and/or strategic are in great demand for both contract and permanent roles within Local Government.
The public sector is likely to experience a bias towards temporary recruiting this quarter, particularly for Town Planners, Engineers and Drafters, Environmental Health Officers and Building Surveyors to complete contract work or fill in for long service leave.
Despite this bias towards temporary recruiting, public sector employers are much more flexible in relation to terms of employment, and will offer candidates the choice of a permanent role or temporary assignment. The priority is to secure quality skills.
There is also a shortage of Environmental Health Officers and Building Surveyors, again for both contract and permanent roles.
The coming quarter
Permanent job numbers will continue their slow and steady ascent as activity in the industry grows. The possibility of redundancies following the completion of BER projects is a real concern, however demand will also be evident for the above mentioned skills, and in particular for those candidates with large project experience.
Employer trends
Salaries are starting to increase as candidate shortages emerge once more. Employers are seeking out salary advice, particularly in relation to rates pre and post BER.
Many employers remain stringent in their recruitment process, particularly in relation to references. A solid track record for candidates is a must.
Candidate trends
Candidate movement at the senior level has grown slightly following strategic planning and growth. This has provided a solid pool of senior candidates for those employers able to take advantage and add to their team's expertise.
In addition to this area of increased local candidate availability, there has been a definite increase in the number of overseas candidates interested in vacancies, particularly from USA and South Africa.
Apart from these two trends, overall the general perception is that there has been a decrease in the number of suitably qualified candidates.
