Estimators, senior contract administrators and project managers top the list of skills in demand in Australia’s Construction sector in the first quarter of the new financial year, says recruiting experts Hays.


The latest Hays Quarterly Report, for the July-September quarter, shows that fee earning candidates such who can either bring work with them or who have strong trade links are in high demand.

 

This is the result of tender activity, with employers seeking individuals with good relationships with subcontractors to offer the best prices and win tenders.

 

Qualified Trades and Trades Assistants are also sought in large companies that require mobile and casual workforces to deliver construction projects.

 

Estimators, Civil Inspectors and Civil Project Managers are needed in Queensland due to flood related work.

 

Subdivisional Supervisors are needed in Melbourne as the city expands and experiences an increase in land development. There is also a need for experienced Site Managers with multi-storey experience due to the amount of apartments currently being built.

 

Foremen/women and Site Managers are needed for civil construction and residential building projects, particularly in Victoria, in response to the increase in projects. Meanwhile, Foremen/women and Site Managers with fit out experience are needed in Perth where there are a number of office developments at the fit out stage.

 

There is also a high demand within commercial fit out for skilled Supervisors, while Project Managers with major new build experience are sought.


Overcoming skills shortages

Employers are increasing salaries for vacancies that prove difficult to fill, and they are also poaching candidates from competitors. We have also seen several cases of employers recruiting under-qualified candidates and up-skilling them to meet their needs.

When recruiting for permanent roles, many employers will use a temporary assignment while a permanent candidate is sourced.


The coming quarter

In some parts of the country the market remains slow, and larger firms are exploring opportunities in regional areas in response to a shortage of metropolitan construction work. Yet there are also a few multi-million dollar projects due to commence around the country which will require contract resources this quarter. The strong mining industry and major infrastructure projects are also creating vacancy activity. In addition, new permanent jobs are expected to be created from August or September following the financial year-end period.

 

Hays expects employers to continue to trial candidates in a temporary role before offering them a permanent position.


Employer trends

Employers are most interested in fee-earning candidates who can bring business or new opportunities in the door. They are also more willing to utilise temporary staff in order to retain flexibility in their workforce, and to up-skill and train candidates into roles.

 

Many employers have high expectations and will wait for a highly skilled local candidate to become available. However once a suitable candidate is identified, employers will move quickly and efficiently due to certain skill shortages within the market.

 

As noted, salaries are rising for those hard to fill areas, particularly to mitigate the cost of the position remaining unfilled.

 

Candidate trends

There has been an increase in candidate volumes, reflecting the slowdown in site-based positions and the conclusion of government stimulus (Building the Education Revolution) projects. However in other areas candidates are starting to move again as they feel the market is improving and vacancies are evident, particularly for Estimators.

 

In Victoria there has been a slight decrease in candidates numbers, with many preferring to wait to see what opportunities the Regional Rail Link will provide; many candidates have already expressed their interest in working on this project, even if they have no prior experience in the rail sector.