Technical & Engineering Recruitment Market Commentary – April 2017

The past quarter has generally been a strong one for us. We’ve experienced lots of demand for staff from new and existing clients and we are currently involved in the embryonic stages of some exciting projects which will provide opportunities for engineering & technical professionals. Having said that, we’ve noticed a slight dip in demand in the past few weeks. Clients have recently been slow to make hiring decisions – we suspect (hope) some of this is related to the Easter break. 

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

Building & Mechanical Services

The majority of our recruitment activity in building services continues to be on the contractor side rather than consulting engineering. We are continuously seeking top candidates for roles encompassing HVAC service technicians, dual trade technicians, alarm panel testers, sprinkler fitters and mechanical services drafters skilled in MEP and BIM especially in producing workshop grade drawings. We have multiple roles in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane on both a contract and permanent employment basis.

At more senior levels we are looking for contract managers, project managers and senior fire engineers. All roles are with some of Australia’s premier mechanical services businesses.

With the upcoming Melbourne underground project we are expecting a major increase in demand for talent in the building services area. We believe there will be severe skills shortages as a result.

Project Management - Market Salary **

Project Management – Market Salary **

Engineering & Drafting

Demand for drafters is strong at present – there are a significant number of businesses currently looking for design and drafting support. The catch is that a lot of this work is part time and short term, so drafters with their own licences ( AutoCAD, SOLIDWORKS) and hardware, please make contact. Longer term work is available in architectural drafting. People with experience in small scale commercial projects and advanced knowledge of Revit are very much sought after both in Sydney and Melbourne.

The professional mechanical engineering sector seems to be going through a dip. Having said that we are looking for highly experienced engineers who have designed technology-based products such as medical devices, audio devices and similar miniature products.

There is a definite need for trade qualified engineers who want to make the change and move into sales engineering roles. Impeccable presentation and advanced communication skills are needed in order to be successful.

Mechanical Engineering - Market Salary **

Mechanical Engineering – Market Salary **

Electrical / Electronic Engineering – Market Salary **

Electrical / Electronic Engineering – Market Salary **

Engineering Management – Market Salary **

Engineering Management – Market Salary **

Civil / Structural Engineering – Market Salary **

Civil / Structural Engineering – Market Salary **

Manufacturing

Opportunities in manufacturing have not been as strong as previous quarters. However we have clients in the startup phase who will be requiring engineers at management and executive levels who are willing to maintain a strong presence on the shop floor.

At the trade level there is great demand for candidates with backgrounds in field service, maintenance fitting, CNC programming and operation, electrical trades and boilermakers/welders with multiple positions available in the manufacturing and engineering industries across Victoria and NSW. Typically these jobs are with very well established businesses who are looking for permanent and casual employees.

Manufacturing Management – Market Salary **

Manufacturing Management – Market Salary **

Software & Hardware Engineering

Demand for developers (hardware, firmware, software) appears to have taken a nosedive in the last few weeks. Why? Who can say? Early signs in 2017 were excellent, and we can only surmise that it is a temporary blip. Those companies which are hiring have some exceptionally specialist requirements which means that very few of the available candidates have the necessary experience. This is the pattern of the age in which we live, it would seem. Not only do you need to tick all or most of the boxes but you also need to thoroughly impress the employer as to your desire to work for them and fulfil the needs of the job. The obsession that many employers have with regard to having local experience is also a factor that can be hard to reconcile with the need to source the best quality candidate in terms of know-how and attitude. Is C++ programming somehow different in China or Iran? Of course, there are cultural variations from country to country in the way people act in concert, but one wonders whether this local experience emphasis is in most cases irrelevant? So, as always, our advice to candidates is to make sure that you can give a compelling argument to recruiters and employers as to why you should be considered as the ‘one to hire’. Go in positive, don’t exaggerate, but let them see that they will be missing out big time by not offering you the job!  Don’t give up.

Hardware Engineers – Market Salary **

Hardware Engineers – Market Salary **

Software Engineers – Market Salary **

Software Engineers – Market Salary **

Programmers & Developers – Market Salary **

Programmers & Developers – Market Salary **

 

** ALL SALARY DATA AND GRAPHS KINDLY SUPPLIED BY SEEK

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