Engineering Recruitment – Market Commentary – January 2020
General Commentary
2019 has concluded with still great opportunities and many varied interesting roles across all of our sectors – Software/Firmware/Hardware Engineers, Vice President of Engineering, Data Scientists, Principal Structural Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Production Engineers, Senior Fire Engineers, Quality Managers, HVAC Engineers, Draftspersons, Project Managers, Contract Managers and many more! Required locations are currently mainly the east coast capital cities plus regional centres such as the lovely Latrobe Valley.
An interesting article is the following link where LinkedIn have published its latest emerging jobs for Australia which are very much in alignment with our current vacancies:-https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6621261829375164416/
Should you be interested or know anyone that you wish to refer us to, please do not hesitate to let us know. All of our current vacancies are on the following link:- https://www.jobs.australiawide.com.au/advancedsearch.aspx
Technology Commentary
A new decade, what will it bring? Which technologies will dominate in the constant search for talent for product design and development enterprises? If we had had perfect vision 10 years ago, we could have anticipated the rise and rise of fullstack Java and JavaScript, and their ancillaries (React and Node etc). On the other hand, what remains constant is the demand for Firmware Developers, this never changes! Anyone who would have predicted the extinction of “embedded C” 10 or 20 years ago would be quite embarrassed by now, as we have a never-ending demand for candidates with a deep understanding of low-level embedded systems. And C still predominates over C++ for most products, especially involving control systems techniques.
Clients’ expectations are, as always, optimistic in that everyone wants to hire Engineers and Developers who are “among the best in the industry”. And it stands to reason that not everyone can be in the top 25%, nor even top 50%, of their field of expertise. It is still a source of disappointment to everyone involved that a fair proportion of candidates just fail to convince employers at interview that they have an in depth understanding of, say – object oriented programming, multi-threaded applications, low level (typically bare metal) embedded applications, or whatever is required in the job. Sadly, many candidates seem to think that a generalised description of a product they have worked on will do the job, and it doesn’t. Sometimes when a candidate provides us with a detailed description of a product they have worked on and its features, we are inclined to say “sounds great, I’d love to buy the product, but we have no idea what you did personally to make it happen!”
The jobs market will get tougher and tougher. As a candidate, you have to have something to say based on problems that you (personally) have solved to cause the employer to say “Wow, this one we must hire”. Generalised descriptions of products where you use “we” as your starting point (because it was a team effort!) does not cut the mustard. Have something to say which will prove your competence, as well as your desire for the job.
Engineering & Operations Commentary
Unless you are in the FMCG industry, the chances are that you are experiencing a very quiet period. Engineering and Operations inquiries in the metals manufacturing industry have almost come to a complete stop, and this in turn is also reflected in the Australian PMI.
There would also appear to be an increase in calls from people looking for employment, and thus also emphasising under-employment. Another observation during this quiet period is the increased requirement for contract drafters. Is this the new norm in times of uncertainty?
It is very hard to gauge what the next quarter has in store for employers and jobseekers; however, it has started off with an increased demand compared to the way the last quarter ended.
Building Services Commentary
If you are a senior HVAC Engineer or AV Engineer with high-level consulting skills then you need to get in contact with us for your next opportunity in Melbourne. We still have many roles available across Building Services as a whole and we are continually on the lookout for Mechanical Services Contract/Client/Account Managers, Project Managers and Project Engineers, Fire Services Specialists, Building Advisory Consultants and Building Efficiency and Tuning Experts. There is a pressing need for Sprinkler Fitters and Alarm Panel Technicians across Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra. The data centre sector continues to boom! We are seeking candidates for permanent roles in Sydney. You could be an HVAC Technician or suitably experienced Process Operator who has operated a range of critical machinery. Recently qualified Electrical Engineering graduates looking to build a career in this exciting sector are also encouraged to apply via our website. Most of the roles – but not all – are shift-based, but the shift rosters are a ripper!!
