Demand For Construction And Engineering Workers In Australia

Strong infrastructure activity in many locations in Australia is creating an active market for candidates looking for their next role. Already many highly experienced candidates and those with specialised skills have secured a step up or relocated to states where demand is high, particularly to NSW.

The Northern Territory is also experiencing a shortage of locally-based candidates, which has been made worse by the high cost of living deterring outside candidates from relocating. As conditions in the other states continue to improve, the candidate shortage in the Northern Territory is expected to worsen, most notably in Alice Springs.

The declining price of commodities is continuing to impact the construction sector in Western Australia, although in positive news strong candidate demand has been generated by major infrastructure projects.

The roll out of the National Broadband Network continues to generate candidate demand in different parts of Australia including high activity in NSW. Other infrastructure projects are adding to candidate demand in NSW.

Meanwhile, the commercial market improved last year with Sydney leading the charge and Western Australia also positive. Elsewhere however the market is best described as inconsistent.

Also inconsistent are the institutional and industrial sectors across Australia and consequently there has been little candidate movement in these areas.

As reported in last year’s Hays Salary Guide, there has been high demand for staff throughout the design and build lifecycle in residential property. Overseas investment and a shortage of supply are driving strong demand for staff in NSW, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia. While most people are aware of the positive markets in Sydney and Melbourne, the Gold Coast is a lesserknown but also strong market due to $2 billion worth of residential projects underway or in the pipeline.

Architects, Structural Engineers, Project Managers, Forepersons, Contract Administrators and Estimators with experience in multi-unit residential design enjoyed a positive 2014-15 and we expect this to continue. Those candidates who work in project homes up and down the east coast of Australia have enjoyed increased demand for their skills too and this will only continue in the year ahead. Estimators and Land Surveyors are also in short supply in this market.

We continue to see ever-increasing demand for candidates with strong Revit skills both at an operational level and the management of Building Information Modelling (BIM) systems. In the years ahead, the industry needs to find a way to meet this demand whether that is through in-house expertise, up-skilling staff through education and training or even by recruiting from overseas.

Turning to the public sector, the constant growth of Australia’s major cities continues to generate demand in Local Government for Development Engineers, Building Surveyors and Traffic Engineers.

If you’re looking to get a job in Australia in 2016, get in touch with Hays to see how they can help you or attend The Moving Down Under Event in London on 30th January to speak to experts in recruitment, migration, pensions, finance and more.

Book your tickets to The Moving Down Under Event here