Christchurch's upcoming construction boom – but where are the skilled workers?

Quantity Surveyors, Residential Project Managers and Senior Commercial Project Managers top the list of skills in high demand in Christchurch’s civil construction market as the city becomes New Zealand’s major hub for jobs growth, says recruiting experts Hays.

Demand is so high that skilled professionals are offered jobs within 48 hours of attending interviews, the experts say. And while local candidates are preferred, the shortage of New Zealand candidates means that companies are also more willing to recruit from overseas, in particular the UK, to fill the skills gap.

“Construction companies are entering the Christchurch market and vacancy activity only continues to rise,” says Jason Walker, Managing Director of Hays in New Zealand.  “Statistics from Trade Me Jobs show jobs advertised in Canterbury have risen 81 per cent year-on-year, compared to three and four per cent in Wellington and Auckland respectively .

“Christchurch really is our stand-out in what is fast becoming a two-speed economy in New Zealand, and civil construction is leading the charge.

“This huge demand for skills has been fuelled by ongoing roading and drainage repairs, the ultra fast broadband roll-out and the increase in insurance related residential rebuild work, which is now gaining momentum.

“We expect new job creation to continue off the back of the vast amount of insurance related rebuilding and repair work that is taking place. Several companies are also setting up in the region and require new staff to help establish their local presence.”

According to Hays, the top five skills in demand in Christchurch’s civil construction market are:

1.      Quantity Surveyors with two or more years of experience;
2.      Residential Project Managers;
3.      Senior Commercial Project Managers;
4.      Civil Machine Operators with drainage and roading experience;
5.      Project Managers with drainage and roading experience.

According to Hays, employers prefer to secure skills on a permanent basis. “With 15 plus years of construction work in the pipeline, many companies want to recruit on a permanent basis,” says Jason. “But there are also several companies that see the benefits of temporary assignments and fixed-term contracts given the uncertainty surrounding timeframes in the region.

“Employers are responding to the skills shortage by reducing their recruitment timeframe and it’s not uncommon for people to be offered a role 48 hours after their interview with the company.

“Salaries are also being impacted by demand and this is most obvious for Quantity Surveyors.  We’ve also seen an increase in bonuses and relocation allowances.”

Hays, the world’s leading recruiting experts in qualified, professional and skilled people.