Hays Property
JANUARY - MARCH 2012
Hotspots
Property is very active at the moment with Professional Quantity Surveyors and Chartered Building Surveyors in high demand. There is a shortage of experienced Project Quantity Surveyors in the country, while only a few Chartered Building Surveyors have a New Zealand background. As a result, there is a preference for UK qualified Building Surveyors with Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors qualifications.
Those who have recently graduated are starting positions with contractors. They tend to continue their career with contractors, since consultancies do not believe they have the right skills to make the transition.
There has also been an increase in demand for intermediate Property Managers.
In general, employers are on the lookout for up and comers to grow and develop within their teams, therefore entry-level and intermediate candidates have been in particular demand.
Overcoming skills shortages
Employers are looking overseas, particularly to the UK, for candidates and will use Skype to carry out interviews or screenings. They are willing to make an offer without meeting the candidate in person if they believe they have the right skills and experience.
In some circumstances intermediates are being offered comparable salaries to more senior candidates in an effort to attract and retain them. Employers are also focusing on their Employee Value Propositions and career development opportunities to promote their company to potential employees.
The coming quarter
Employers utilised temporary assignments towards the end of last quarter to ensure workloads were still completed over the holiday period, particularly in Christchurch. We expect to see the market once again pick up early in this quarter as construction work recommences.
We are also seeing the use of temporaries increase in the public sector following the election result.
Employer trends
Employers are taking longer during the recruitment process as they assess whether their need to hire is justified. Property employers are becoming more imaginative when trying to attract good candidates. They are more open to negotiating and considering overseas candidates.
Candidate trends
Candidate levels have remained steady. There are fewer good candidates in the sector as activity levels increase.
