Now is a good time to be an architect in NZ

Now is a good time to be an architect in New Zealand

Permanent jobs are being created for registered Architects in New Zealand as the volume of work is picking up in the field due to the ongoing construction boom across the country, says recruiting experts Hays Construction.

Registered Architects, Civil Project Managers and Quantity Surveyors/Estimators are among the roles topping the list of skills in demand in the Hays Quarterly Report for January to March 2015.

“The outlook for construction continues to be favourable as a result of the Government's focus on the country's infrastructure, commercial and residential construction projects and ongoing reconstruction work in the earthquake affected regions,” says Jason Walker, Managing Director of Hays in New Zealand.

“Demand for Architects in the commercial sector continues to increase and the market is looking very positive for 2015 with a lot of architectural practices having a good forward workload. As a result candidates are demanding higher salaries and are getting pay rises of between $5-10,000 when moving firms. We are also seeing some firms reviewing their set salary structure in order to attract higher quality candidates.

“New construction jobs are also being created by the increase in workload throughout the residential, commercial and civil sectors,” says Jason. “Civil employers, especially smaller contractors, are favouring permanent recruitment in Auckland where we are seeing strong demand for Estimators, Project Managers, Quantity Surveyors and Project Engineers with roading and infrastructure experience.”

Meanwhile in Christchurch, the high demand for Quantity Surveyors and Estimators is set to continue as a number of projects have been tendered and won, and are due to start in the next quarter. “The temporary market is buoyant in Christchurch as momentum is being maintained by the completion of a number of large construction projects,” says Jason.

Other areas of demand in construction include Site Managers, Earthworks Supervisors, Civil Construction Supervisors and Residential LBP Forepersons and Project Managers.

According to Hays Construction, employers are being more flexible about employing returning Kiwis or candidates with less New Zealand experience, which has been a requirement in the past, and in doing so are benefiting from a wider pool of candidates who are capable of performing in the roles.

For the full list of skills in demand, please view our Hays Quarterly Report.

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

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