Property and construction skills in demand

Property and construction skills in demandAs business and consumer sentiment rises, employment vacancy rates across Australia’s property and construction industry are increasing, according to the latest Hays Quarterly Report.Australia’s construction industry remains one of the country’s strongest economic drivers, with ongoing demand for skilled staff to work on large-scale infrastructure projects, as well as commercial and residential developments. Construction activity is, in turn, driving demand for well-networked property sales, leasing and management specialists.Claire Forsythe, regional director for Hays Property, says job growth in the property and construction industry is keeping pace with other sectors in the economy.”In many states, the construction industry is one of the strongest economic drivers,” she says.”The demand for residential dwellings remains high, in many states there is strong activity from both overseas and domestic developers and so the supply and demand ratio has tipped in favour of those candidates in demand.”Strong activity in New South Wales and Victoria, particularly in high-density residential and hotel development, is driving the hunt for top talent in both acquisition and delivery roles. In Sydney, project engineers and managers, forepersons and estimators are in demand for major rail projects, while Victoria is experiencing a shortage of contract administrators, estimators and project managers.In Queensland, the competitive commercial property market favours well-networked and experienced commercial leasing consultants. Residential property managers are also in demand.The ACT’s residential property market remains buoyant, and the $700 million light rail project is increasing candidate movement and salaries. Project and site managers are in short supply, as well as contract administrators, civil forepersons and project engineers.Commercial construction in Tasmania is at an all-time high, driving demand for commercial property managers, asset management professionals and property conveyancers.In the Northern Territory, a $2 billion investment in defence housing, infrastructure and commercial development is driving the market. Jobseekers with defence clearance, especially client-side project managers, are hot property.A surge in medium and high density residential development in South Australia is driving the need for site and project managers. In Western Australia, the oversupply of office space has increased demand for effective negotiators. Civil construction remains healthy, with highway extensions and the airport link calling for civil supervisors, project managers and estimators. Forsythe says the current slow growth in wages across the economy is unlikely to influence employment opportunities in property and construction, “but it will impact turnover as people look to gain a salary increase by changing jobs”.”It will also have an impact on employers’ ability to attract the top talent, with salary pressure especially evident for both acquisition and delivery roles.”Where will the jobs be in five years’ time?”No one has a crystal ball, but what we can say is that there’s a trend of increasing popularity for apartment living around the country, so sales staff will likely see ongoing demand for their skills as the built environment becomes denser.”Developers will continue to shape the landscape with high-rise apartments and mixed use commercial property attracting investors and first home buyers and creating jobs for residential and commercial property managers, as well as strata, project and development managers.”Continued government investment in infrastructure will create a healthy pipeline of work for government agencies and project management consultancies, resulting in continued demand for skilled candidates.”Download the Hays Quarterly Report.