New Zealand Construction Industry Trends Match the Global Pattern
Auckland, New Zealand, 15 November 2018 – Increasing demand for services is putting pressure on talent acquisition, with construction companies turning to
technology to forecast hiring, manage costs, and grow revenue. This finding comes from Teletrac Navman’s second annual Telematics Benchmark Report: Global Construction Edition.
The construction industry is expected to grow at 4.2 per cent from 2018 to 20231, and to be worth $15.5 trillion2
globally by 2030.
Despite growing demand for services, Teletrac Navman research reveals that construction businesses around the world are
facing several challenges. Managing costs (49%) remains the industry’s biggest challenge. However, issues around
finding, retaining and developing talent have grown significantly from last year, with more than a third (35%) of
businesses affected globally, up 13 per cent on 2017.
The industry’s growing focus on risk management and compliance has also resulted in more respondents facing challenges
around minimising vehicle/driver incidents (23%), up 6 per cent; managing risk (21%), up 7 per cent; and regulatory
changes (17%), up 10 per cent.
Over half of respondents (59%) said they expect to grow fleet sizes next year to cope with rising demand for services
(56%).
The survey also revealed the extent of the current labour shortage, technology disruption, and economic optimism, in
addition to several other key trends.
Rising global demand is leading to labour shortages and higher costs, with payroll dominating company expenses as firms
increase pay and offer greater benefits to attract talent
• Finding, retaining and developing talent is the biggest planned business investment (42%), with just under half
(49%) saying that increasing material and labour costs was their biggest concern.
• Organisations are addressing the labour shortage by increasing pay (50%), offering better benefits (35%), and
providing flexible working arrangements (29%).
Construction firms are turning to technology to manage issues, improve efficiency and results
• After talent, upgrading fleets (37%), integrating technologies and systems (33%), installing more efficient GPS
tracking (26%), and implementing technology for regulatory compliance (22%) are key investment priorities in the year
ahead.
• More than three quarters (79%) of respondents are using telematics, with 55 per cent reporting fuel savings as a
result (12% fuel saved on average).
• The reasons for deploying telematics include: vehicle/equipment tracking (76%); tracking speed (62%); hours
driven (58%); and distance (47%). Reducing idling (39%) and fuel usage (32%) were also key drivers.
Early adopters are reaping rewards, with a range of benefits from fleet management technology
• The top reported benefits of telematics included: peace of mind/knowing where vehicles are (57%); improved
driver behaviour (34%); more efficient routing (24%); and cost savings (19%).
• Construction firms have also already embraced mobile technology, with 58 per cent of businesses offering it to
their drivers, operators, and fleet managers to enable more direct communication (57%); easier fleet tracking (48%); and
easier reporting (46%).
Commenting on the findings, James French, Construction Construction Industry Specialist, Teletrac Navman, said: “The
construction industry has long faced pressures to do more with less, while also ensuring the safety of its workers and
profitability of the business. Firms also reported a notable upswing on 2017 in facing challenges around regulatory
requirements and compliance. We’re committed to supporting the industry by helping them understand and navigate these
market shifts.”
The full report can be found at: Telematics Benchmark Report: Global Construction Edition
Survey Methodology
The 2018 Teletrac Navman Telematics Benchmark Report is based on a survey of more than 2,400 fleet operations and fleet
management professionals from around the world. Of the total survey respondents, 646 indicated that their primary
industry was construction, mining or oil and gas. This includes over 120 from New Zealand and Australia. The results
described in the 2018 Telematics Benchmark Survey: Global Construction Edition, were compiled from those respondents
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About Teletrac Navman
Teletrac Navman is a leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider leveraging location-based technology and services for
managing mobile assets. With specialised solutions that deliver greater visibility into real-time insights and
analytics, Teletrac Navman helps companies make better business decisions that enhance productivity and profitability.
Its fleet and asset management technology uncovers information that would otherwise go unseen, helping customers reduce
risk and confidently move their business forward with certainty. It tracks and manages more than 550,000 vehicles and
assets for more than 40,000 companies around the world. The company is headquartered in Glenview, IL, with additional
offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico. For more information visit teletracnavman.com.
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