Technical & Engineering Recruitment – Market Commentary October 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW1cXkThinU
This past quarter has been the most buoyant that we have encountered over the past few years. Existing clients have been faring well and we have also encountered a solid stream of new client enquiry. We are easily experiencing more enquiry coming from Sydney than any other city and this is backed up by Commsec’s “State of The States” report naming NSW as the nation’s strongest state, driven largely by the residential construction boom. Overall it feels that there is more confidence out there which is resulting in hiring.
Building/Mechanical Services
Victoria
Requirements for Building Services Engineers continue to be scarce in consulting. The major consultants are advising “steady as she goes” re staffing requirements and they anticipate that they will remain so until the end of 2014. However demand in Mechanical Services has been very high. We have successfully recruited Project Managers, Service Managers, Mid-level Engineers and Estimators.
NSW
We continue to actively recruit trade qualified contractors in the MEP discipline for both contractors and consultancies. The contractor market is definitely more aggressive with projects in Barangaroo and the construction of the new convention and entertainment centre. As such we are anticipating solid demand for roles such as Project Managers .
Drafting
Victoria
The local market for Drafting continues to be dormant. There have only been very short term requirements for Architectural Drafters for residential work requiring AutoCAD 2D and ArchiCAD and a small amount for Inventor. Assignments have been on a part-time basis or ad-hoc as project demand requires. The traditional CAD Drafter roles in manufacturing and product development have been hardest hit.
NSW
In contrast the drafting sector in NSW has been very positive with great signs for the next 3 – 6 months. We have seen a rise in demand for most disciplines with experience in CAD packages, particularly Revit MEP, Structural and Architectural. We are very keen to see permanent and contract drafters from piping / mechanical backgrounds with AutoCAD Plant 3D or AutoPLANT. We have a number of CAD positions available presently and would be happy to discuss these in detail. Good signs for both clients and candidates.
Consulting Engineering
The market has seen some growth but again mainly contained to some of the smaller consultancies. The retail sector is still busy and holding up well and infrastructure is also showing healthy signs with upcoming new projects. Experienced engineers are quite hard to secure as they still do not have 100% confidence in the current market. We do require mid-level experienced Civil and Structural Engineers and Project Managers for current projects.
Manufacturing
This last quarter has continued to show an increase in demand for both permanent and on-hired contract roles in manufacturing. This demand has been across a variety of industry sectors, including food, electronics, aviation, plastics, rubber and HVAC.
In the professional engineering space we have been busy recruiting Project Engineers, Production Planners, Process Engineers, Manufacturing Engineers, Electrical Engineers, Automation Engineers, Maintenance Managers, Service Engineers and Sales Engineers.
The Melbourne market for labour hire in manufacturing is as strong as it has been for the last 3-4 years. We think it is probably too early for this to be put down to the falling Aussie dollar although this will undoubtedly assist a range of our clients in coming months. Good candidates have choices and aren’t on the market for long, although hourly pay rates are reasonably stable. In particular, we have been searching for Mechanical Assemblers, Electronics Assemblers and Solderers and Food Manufacturing Workers.
Our Sydney labour hire business has experienced a steady increase in client enquiries. Traditionally the last quarter of the year is very busy, ramping up due to seasonal demand. Particular hotspots of demand include Pipefitters, Trade Assistants, Welders and Plumbers, whilst automotive and warehousing are holding steady.
Technology
No longer is technology used merely for the workplace. Smart phones encompass a wide range of our lives and the growth of this type of technology has been exponential and this is driving our job market today. The evolution of the digital market has become faster over the last 1-2 years and is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Candidates such as Front End Web Developers, Mobile App Developers, Javascript Developers, Digital Marketing Managers are already becoming scarce. For potential technology graduates, this is the space you want to be in. In the past quarter, other sectors have slowed down, in particular software engineering roles in C/C++. To summarise, the pockets of employment within the technology sector that have outperformed the rest are the digital, mobile app and web technologies. Web developers with skills like PHP, Javascript and Angular JS are in fierce demand.
Most companies are taking time to employ the “right” person rather than hire based purely on the skills set. The buoyant employment market has resulted in many working in one company for only 6-12 months. This does not sit well with organisations who are willing to invest in their people.
