Technical & Engineering Recruitment Market Commentary – October 2017

Whilst consumers are not overly optimistic at the moment, business confidence is strong and in our experience over the past quarter, businesses are investing in the recruitment of staff. Infrastructure projects will continue to push money through their supply chains in the longer term, the AUD is sitting at a reasonably comfortable level for exporters and a range of Aussie companies continue to develop successful and innovative products which stack up well internationally. All this is great news for engineering and technical talent although we are not seeing bidding wars for talent and salaries are generally stable.

Following are more specific observations of some of the key engineering and technical markets in which we operate.

 

Building & Mechanical Services

We continue to grow in the mechanical services sector particularly from the contractor side. We have numerous vacancies to fill in Victoria, ACT, NSW and QLD. Whilst there is a lot of demand at the technician level (HVAC & refrigeration), there are also requirements for graduate engineers, project managers, green star consultants, advisory, contract managers and CAD drafters (SW, Revit, CAD Duct). These opportunities are due to new projects and ongoing service contracts.

We are also observing an upturn in infrastructure spending, with new projects for Sydney light rail, Melbourne freeway widening and, of course, the Melbourne metro tunnel.

Another growth area is data centres where there is massive expansion of new facilities being built and these require mechanical and electrical DC operators, supervisors and managers. If you are experienced in any of these areas please contact us as we need to know about you.

Project Management Data **

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Engineering and Drafting

Demand for design engineers has remained steady with requirements for mechanical engineers with excellent SolidWorks, AutoCAD and Inventor skills. Experience in design of complex mechanisms and sheet metal products is high on the list both in Melbourne and Sydney. We then go up the chain to engineering management where we have a niche requirement for road tanker design. Sales-wise we are recruiting for a specialist sales engineer who has solid experience in the hard rock crushing arena to sell grinding media. Project engineers are also in demand.

Drafting requirements for us are still strongest in the mechanical services sector where we are continuously looking for Revit skills.

Mechanical Engineering Data **

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Electrical / Electronic Engineering Data **

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Engineering Managers Data **

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Civil / Structural Engineering Data **

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Manufacturing

Although the car manufacturing industry has come to an end in Australia, this has certainly not been a reflection of the broader manufacturing industry where rail, road transport, maritime and niche manufacturing sectors are experiencing a vital injection of growth and/or opportunity.

There is much excitement and anticipation for the future of manufacturing in Australia, mainly within smaller to medium-sized businesses and this is being felt through enquiries which we are receiving.

Some of the roles that we are currently interviewing for include factory manager – Melbourne, engineering assurance manager – Sydney, engineering manager – rural Victoria, production manager – Melbourne, project manager – Sydney.

Salaries appear to be stable when compared to the last quarter, and there is no shortage of candidates in filling these roles.

Manufacturing Managers Data **

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Production, Planning & Scheduling Data **

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Software & Hardware Engineering

Demand for skilled personnel continues unabated. However, the term “skilled” can mean different things to different people. For some, it means the qualifications that someone has obtained and the years of experience in a given area of expertise, but for the client (and hence the recruiter) it invariably means the level of pure talent in their chosen field that one candidate has in comparison with another. That does not always correlate to the qualification gained or the years of experience on the board or resume. This is the world that we are in – clients expect their new recruits to be absolute knockouts! Job profiles often list a catalogue of desirable skills and nice to haves etc but the underlying expectation is you, the candidate, are one of the best in the market. Statistically, not many can be in the top 10%, in fact generally only 1 in 10 make it that high (even I can work that out!).

So whether you are a hardware, or firmware or software developer, you need to be able to convince the employer that (without blind exaggeration or hyperbole) you are up there with the best of them. How do you do this? Preparation for the interview, anticipation of likely tough technical questions and a level of genuine enthusiasm will all help (it’s surprising how few candidates display enthusiasm or real interest in the company or job and the employer is left feeling less than enthused themselves about the prospect of hiring that individual) but try and add something more – ideally a practical commitment to your chosen area. Especially in software, contribution to Open Source projects or a hobby project, GitHub and so on, and in electronics, maybe demo of a board or system that you have been tinkering with for umpteen years. I remember years ago, a young RF Engineering graduate who had built an RF transmitter / receiver which operated from his garden and bounced signals off the ionosphere (and if I remember correctly, he was using part of his dustbin to help I some way, or so he said!). He was hired. No hesitation.

Hardware Engineering Data **

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Software Engineering Data **

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Developers / Programmers Data **

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** Salary Data kindly provided by SEEK.

Meet the newest Australia Wide Personnel team members

Wesley Blaquiere

Wesley holds a Degree in Human Resource Management, a Diploma in Marketing and more than 15 years of relevant experience across Australia, Asia and the UK. With the added advantage of practical site project experience, Wesley leads our Construction & Engineering Consultancy division partnering with clients and candidates, building lasting relationships with a range of engineers, commercial, safety and senior management professionals across various sectors. Wesley’s industry expertise is targeted at civil and marine infrastructure for bridges, rail & tunnels, jetties, commercial and high tech building services including data centres and life sciences facilities, energy and stadia. Thorough and methodical in his approach, he is very selective and straightforward, commercially minded, determined to achieve win-win results and willing to provide market insight whenever he can help. Regardless of scale, Wesley gets great personal satisfaction when he knows he has been able to help candidates and clients safely deliver profitable high-end engineering and construction projects.

Contact Wesley on 03 9847 6500 or wesb@australiawide.com.au to discuss your recruitment requirements or career opportunities.

 

Rob Solic

Rob’s experience and knowledge of the manufacturing and engineering industries spans three decades. He entered the workforce as an apprentice fitter & turner before moving into toolmaking and engineering roles. Thereafter Rob honed his skills in manufacturing sales & business development, before applying all of his acquired skills and knowledge in a role as an operations manager.

Contact Rob on 03 9847 6500 or robs@australiawide.com.au to discuss your recruitment requirements or career opportunities.

Ken Kale

Ken’s background is technical engineering and project management. Greater than 15 years of project management experience in the UK and Australia, leading cross-functional engineering teams in the development of grinding, microwave, medical and life science products and instruments, window furnishings systems, automation equipment and quality management. PMP qualified. At Australia Wide Personnel he performs candidate research to find the best (and often difficult to find) talent – he is driven by the desire to connect the client to the best people.

Contact Ken on 03 9847 6500 or ken@australiawide.com.au to discuss your recruitment requirements or career opportunities.

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