Archway's April - June Quarterly Update: Built Environment
My name is James Ward, a Director at Archway, recruiting across the Engineering industry. Each quarter I'll be sharing trends and industry insights compiled by our team that specialises in?recruiting for the?Built Environment?sector.
Archway Recruitment specialise?in supporting small to medium size companies with their recruitment. We have an experienced team across New Zealand with offices in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
Exciting times to be in the built industry!
There is significant activity within the built environment leading to opportunities for?candidates?in this?field.
New Zealand is investing heavily in infrastructure right now to modernise existing assets, prepare for climate change and to help grow the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic.?An estimated $129 billion is expected to be spent on capital projects between 2019 and 2029.
In 2020, the government announced an additional $15 billion surge of infrastructure projects in a New Zealand?upgrade programme, with special emphasis on roading, transport, hospitals and schools.
New housing developments are also underway across New Zealand, needing skills in land development, traffic and water infrastructure.
It is certainly an exciting time to plan and shape your career with such a?broad range of projects and construction coming online across New Zealand.?
Plenty of demand for Christchurch
Archway has recently seen an increase in?professionals working within the?built?environment sectors looking to relocate from Auckland and Wellington to Christchurch.?The?Christchurch property market is providing an attractive incentive, with house prices still relatively more affordable than the other main centres.
Candidates are looking for the right price
Archway is hearing that many salaries haven’t increased in the last 24-months, COVID delayed some salary?reviews,?and some organisations are still reluctant to address this, despite wanting to hire aggressively to meet their demands for current projects and future business growth plans.
This shows signs of challenges with retention when employees know they?can?potentially?receive?pay rises by moving roles vs.?staying with their current employee.?It's?a good time to change?jobs?or ask for a?pay rise.
Data across Seek shows demand for jobs is higher year on year compared to this time last year. This is likely due to the increase in activity and demand in the?sector, combined with movement within from employees looking to find better working conditions including pay.
Working from home demand starts to impact house design
In the wake of Covid-19 lockdowns, we can expect new houses to accommodate more spaces for people to work from home.
The experiences of 2020 in a world with Covid have shaped how people see their homes. There is an increase in demand on creating working from home spaces in new house design.?Some architects have been advocating a “broken-plan” layout over open plan over the past few years. In other words, they like to provide break-out areas where family members can work on devices, yet still be connected to the main household.
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Passive housing design on the rise
An increasing number of people are taking a serious approach to the future of housing and how it impacts both the environment and family health. They recognise the standard building code is a minimum standard that isn’t going far?enough and?are opting to build a certified passive house that will provide ongoing energy savings.
Passive house design had previously been seen as a very niche market, we are now hearing architects and designers asking to be part of this movement when consulting with clients.
The team has?looked?at the challenges?we are seeing across key Built Environment industries.??
Engineering Sector challenges
Engineering skills are in chronic short supply in New Zealand.
We have approximately 74,000 people working as engineers or in related roles. It is estimated we need an additional 1,500 people each year just to match economic growth, let alone replace engineers who retire or move onto other jobs. As of early 2021, engineering jobs on the skills shortage lists have significantly expanded. The top skills shortages Archway are seeing in the market are in the following areas:??
Construction Sector challenges
Continued high demand for residential buildings has put the Construction Sector in a good position. However, ongoing skill shortages, supply issues and material costs will impact the sector’s ability to supply buildings and control costs.
Residential building consents have been increasing year on year. Although demand is high, factors on the supply side such as skill shortages and supply chain delays will negatively affect the industry’s ability to meet the demands.
Ongoing border closures limit the ability of construction employers to alleviate skill shortages through migrant labour, however, there are now 16,000 apprentices in trades training, this is a step in the right direction.
The construction market is still seeing significant skill shortages across: Quantity Surveying, Site Managers, Foremen and Project Managers for site-based construction / infrastructure projects.
Architecture / Property Sector Challenges?
With many organisations returning to growth and looking to build for their future, it's no surprise that many of 2021’s most in demand jobs are those deemed critical to project design, delivery and construction.
The Architectural Industry certainly continues within this trend, where we are seeking skill shortages across many job roles and skill sets specifically across: Architectural Technicians, Registered Architects and Project Architects, Architectural Graduates and BIM Managers and Coordinators.
Archway Corporate - New Hires!
We're also delighted to announce a new addition to the Archway business.?@Rehana Ali?has joined the team and is supporting the Engineering business as a Talent Manager.
Want to know more about how Archway can help you? Get in touch today!?