North or South? Where do your skills fit?
Very different job skills are in demand on the north and south islands of New Zealand due to the rebuilding of
Christchurch, according to the latest Hays Quarterly Report.
The Report, covering the July to September 2012 quarter, revealed the earthquake recovery and reconstruction is driving
the demand for skilled professionals in Christchurch such as Senior Architects, Quantity Surveyors and Structural
Engineers.
By comparison, the north island may be sitting in a bit of a holding pattern but demand is growing for Construction
Project Managers, Foremen/women and Supervisors.
“Construction, engineering and architecture are the standout industries where different skills are needed depending on
the island,” said Jason Walker, Managing Director of Hays in New Zealand.
“In the South, the Christchurch rebuild is fuelling demand for good CAD Drafters and Senior Architects with New Zealand
experience. There has also been a gradual increase in demand for Architectural CAD Drafters with Revit. Architectural
Drafters are also being considered by some companies for engineering drafting positions due to increased demand for
structural design in Christchurch.”
According to Hays, trade shortages are another area of difference. “Trades skills shortages are expected to become more
apparent on the north island. However, as the Christchurch rebuild really gets underway it could result in a strain in
trade resources in Wellington and Auckland. Also, due to a rise in the number of projects, as well as new major
contractors entering the market, Wellington now needs Construction Project Managers, Foremen/women and Supervisors, with
a high demand also for Quantity Surveyors for PQS firms and construction-based Quantity Surveyors. The preference is for
local candidates with local knowledge and experience.
“In Christchurch employers are looking for Quantity Surveyors with two or more years of experience on residential,
refurbishment and light commercial construction projects, as well as Quantity Surveyors with significant
pre-construction experience. Drainage Foremen/women with practical experience and Civil Project Managers with experience
in drainage and roading are also sought, as are Machine Operators and Drivers and trade-qualified residential Project
Managers with experience working on complex refurbishments and client-liaising skills.
“We’re also seeing high demand for Structural & Geotechnical Engineers in regions outside of Canterbury, Senior Geotechnical Engineers, Senior Civil Engineers (CPEng),
Senior/Principal Water Engineers, 12D Civil Design Engineers and Structural Engineers,” said Jason.
Skills in demand:
South Island
• CAD Drafters
• Senior Architects with New Zealand experience
• Architectural CAD Drafters with Revit and Architectural Drafters
• Quantity Surveyors with two or more years of experience on residential, refurbishment and light commercial
construction projects
• Quantity Surveyors with significant pre-construction experience
• Drainage Foreman/women with practical experience
• Civil Project Managers with experience in drainage and roading
• Machine Operators and Drivers.
North Island
• Construction Project Managers, Foremen/women and Supervisors
• Quantity Surveyors for PQS firms needed in Wellington
• Construction-based Quantity Surveyors.
• Quantity Surveyors and Estimators needed in Auckland
• Civil Supervisors, Civil Project Managers and Directional Drilling Foremen/women in response to an improvement
in Auckland’s subdivision market and the need to service Ultra Fast Broadband contracts
• Structural & Geotechnical Engineers
To read the full Hays Quarterly Report, including candidate and employer trends and future issues, please visit www.hays.net.nz/report
About Hays
Hays is the leading global specialist recruiting group. We are the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and
skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in Asia Pacific and the UK and one of the market leaders in
Continental Europe and Latin America. We operate across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions,
contract roles and temporary assignments.
Hays employs 7,988 staff operating from 247 offices in 33 countries across 20 specialisms. For the year ended 30 June
2011, Hays reported net fees of £672 million and operating profit of £114 million and placed around 60,000 candidates
into permanent jobs and around 190,000 people into temporary assignments. 31% of Group net fees were generated in Asia
Pacific.
Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile, China, the Czech
Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the
Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, the UK and the USA.
ENDS