Technical & Engineering Recruitment Market Commentary – October 2015
The first quarter of the new financial year has been considerably stronger in our core recruitment markets than the corresponding period a year earlier. Of particular strength are software engineering, commercial & multi-story residential construction in Sydney and pockets of manufacturing such as food. The incoming Turnbull government appears to have had a positive effect on confidence and there seems to be optimism that at a federal level, some much-needed reform may be discussed and negotiated sensibly in the best interests of the country. Following are more specific observations of some of the key engineering and technical markets in which we operate.
Building & Mechanical Services
In the consulting area there has not been any significant upswing in employment opportunities. We believe there will be some encouraging news in the wind in coming months with some groups predicting the awarding of contracts which have been in the assessment stage for a prolonged period.
Within mechanical services our busiest area is the contracting sector with many requirements across the board ranging from service technicians to project engineers and senior managers. There are also many new contracts being signed that give us the confidence that this sector will continue to grow well into 2016.
Engineering & Drafting
In Melbourne, engineering requirements have been strongest with mid-sized specialist manufacturing companies – in particular process engineers, sales engineers, technical support engineers and technical managers. Drafting in Melbourne however has continued to be depressed with enquiries for only minor contract periods of around 3- 4 weeks and some of those are working from home opportunities. Requirements have mainly been for Inventor and SolidWorks.
In Sydney, engineering demand has been strongest in the commercial and multi-unit residential construction sector. After several years in which candidates were relatively easy to find amid soft building conditions, specialist skills are now in short supply as job vacancies hit high levels. The following skills are where we’re seeing the most demand: structural engineers for commercial building projects; Revit drafters, architects and technicians who can use 3D design and rendering; mid-level architects, for work on residential and commercial projects; associate level candidates with a focus upon leadership and generating new business; statutory planners and transport planners for work on major infrastructure projects, and; urban designers with a planning background.
Candidates meanwhile, are looking to upskill in CAD and Revit and are seeking stability, career progression and strong design philosophy in their next role.
Manufacturing
The steady increase in requirements from the manufacturing sector from last quarter has continued. As has been the case in recent times, the food industry is leading the charge with the majority of growth coming from medium sized manufacturers.
The roles showing the greatest demand have been pickers/packers, production operators, light and heavy assemblers, forklift operators, blenders and delivery drivers. Of particular note, there has been a sharp increase in the recruitment of permanent supervisory and skilled labour staff, such as trades and machine operators – this trend seems set to continue. Heavy recruitment in labour hire is also anticipated over the current quarter with manufacturing requirements traditionally ramping up prior to the quieter post-Christmas period.
In Melbourne in particular, we’ve experienced steady demand for professionals within manufacturing such as process engineers, production managers and purchasing staff. Interestingly, in Sydney we feel that whilst there has been an increase in the number of roles available, the number of active jobseekers has increased significantly in the lead up to Christmas, particularly in areas such as warehousing. The result is that candidates currently outweigh the number of vacancies in the market.
Technology
There seems to be a sense of growing confidence around. Enquiries for developers are on the rise, which tends to suggest that there is a degree of optimism in the air. Mostly, software and web services are where it’s at. Firmware and hardware are lagging behind a bit. The marketplace is constantly re-inventing itself, as one technology seems to take the lead, whether Java or C#, Javascript or XML, or one DSP chipset as opposed to another, and now “big data” looms large.
Demand for candidates will undoubtedly increase, but still with everyone seeking those in the upper quartile (ability wise), which will invariably result in a very strangely shaped candidate pyramid, as employers fight for those they perceive as the best in their domain area. Mathematically even we can work out that not everyone can be in the upper quartile! Salaries may also rise for those who are fortunate enough to be in this league, while for the silent majority, they may remain stubbornly static. We watch with interest to see how things pan out for the rest of the year, but it may be a hectic spell coming up.
