The document discusses the perceived shortage of quantity surveyors in the UK construction industry. While industry leaders have reported difficulties finding qualified candidates, the number of quantity surveyors achieving chartered status has actually been increasing in recent years. There are a variety of factors contributing to the skills gap, including emigration, large construction projects absorbing talent, and an aging workforce. However, the shortage may ease as more candidates pass their professional exams and fill open roles in the coming years. Consultancies are advised to work with specialist recruitment agencies to help attract and retain top talent during this time of high demand and shifting salaries.
Steven Turner Personal Marketing Plan(Mk331)Steven Turner
Steven Turner is pursuing a B.S. in Acquisition and Contract Management at Athens State University to become a highly employable professional. His vision is to complete his degree in 2013 and obtain a job as an Acquisition and Contract Manager for the U.S. government or contractors while continuing his education with a Master's degree. Huntsville, Alabama provides excellent opportunities in his field due to growth from the BRAC initiative. His marketing plan is to network and apply for relevant jobs upon graduating in 2013, leveraging his background and education.
The oil and gas industry faces major skill shortages due to an aging workforce and lack of experienced professionals entering the industry. Over the next decade, more than half of oilfield professionals will reach retirement age. Younger workers do not have sufficient experience and technical skills to replace retiring experienced workers. This skills gap is reducing industry productivity and oil production. The G20 Training Strategy aims to build connections between education and the job market to improve workforce skills and address these shortages facing the oil and gas sector.
2007. Herbert Böhm. Staffing Solutions in Tune with Tomorrow’s Economy. CEE-W...Forum Velden
Herbert Böhm discusses staffing solutions and the future labor market. He notes that the EU labor force will shrink while other regions like India and Turkey will see growth. This will reduce the EU's share of the global labor force and GDP. Flexible staffing solutions through temporary work agencies are growing and will help address future labor shortages. Trenkwalder Personal Services has experienced strong growth and aims to expand further in Central and Eastern Europe to help shape developing labor markets through innovative services.
BC Tech Policy Recommendations March 2020ChadParent3
It is no surprise that BC’s fast-growing tech sec- tor is a leading economic driver of growth in BC; technology is a tool empowering businesses, people, and governments to tackle important problems and improve lives.
The document provides an overview of the accountancy and finance market in the first quarter of 2015. It summarizes that despite budget constraints in some industries, the overall market continues to show positive growth, particularly in property, construction, infrastructure, media and retail. There is high demand for candidates with industry-specific experience, technical accounting skills, and experience in areas like property and construction. The outlook for the next six months expects continued competition for mid-level candidates and an increase in transactional roles.
The document provides an overview of the accountancy and finance market in the first quarter of 2015. It summarizes that despite budget constraints in some industries, the overall market continues to show positive growth, particularly in property, construction, infrastructure, media and retail. There is high demand for candidates with industry-specific experience, technical accounting skills, and experience in areas like shared services. The outlook remains positive with continued job growth expected across various sectors and levels of experience over the next six months.
The document discusses how the future job market is changing due to new technologies. It notes that while technology can increase efficiency, many workers may become unemployed unless they update their skills. It outlines several trends that will impact work, such as the rise of contract work, the importance of digital skills and analytics. Critical skills gaps are identified in both technical and management areas. Emerging in-demand jobs are listed like VR/AR architects and data scientists. The conclusion emphasizes that workers must enhance their skills through continuous learning to adapt to an automated future job market.
Steven Turner Personal Marketing Plan(Mk331)Steven Turner
Steven Turner is pursuing a B.S. in Acquisition and Contract Management at Athens State University to become a highly employable professional. His vision is to complete his degree in 2013 and obtain a job as an Acquisition and Contract Manager for the U.S. government or contractors while continuing his education with a Master's degree. Huntsville, Alabama provides excellent opportunities in his field due to growth from the BRAC initiative. His marketing plan is to network and apply for relevant jobs upon graduating in 2013, leveraging his background and education.
The oil and gas industry faces major skill shortages due to an aging workforce and lack of experienced professionals entering the industry. Over the next decade, more than half of oilfield professionals will reach retirement age. Younger workers do not have sufficient experience and technical skills to replace retiring experienced workers. This skills gap is reducing industry productivity and oil production. The G20 Training Strategy aims to build connections between education and the job market to improve workforce skills and address these shortages facing the oil and gas sector.
2007. Herbert Böhm. Staffing Solutions in Tune with Tomorrow’s Economy. CEE-W...Forum Velden
Herbert Böhm discusses staffing solutions and the future labor market. He notes that the EU labor force will shrink while other regions like India and Turkey will see growth. This will reduce the EU's share of the global labor force and GDP. Flexible staffing solutions through temporary work agencies are growing and will help address future labor shortages. Trenkwalder Personal Services has experienced strong growth and aims to expand further in Central and Eastern Europe to help shape developing labor markets through innovative services.
BC Tech Policy Recommendations March 2020ChadParent3
It is no surprise that BC’s fast-growing tech sec- tor is a leading economic driver of growth in BC; technology is a tool empowering businesses, people, and governments to tackle important problems and improve lives.
The document provides an overview of the accountancy and finance market in the first quarter of 2015. It summarizes that despite budget constraints in some industries, the overall market continues to show positive growth, particularly in property, construction, infrastructure, media and retail. There is high demand for candidates with industry-specific experience, technical accounting skills, and experience in areas like property and construction. The outlook for the next six months expects continued competition for mid-level candidates and an increase in transactional roles.
The document provides an overview of the accountancy and finance market in the first quarter of 2015. It summarizes that despite budget constraints in some industries, the overall market continues to show positive growth, particularly in property, construction, infrastructure, media and retail. There is high demand for candidates with industry-specific experience, technical accounting skills, and experience in areas like shared services. The outlook remains positive with continued job growth expected across various sectors and levels of experience over the next six months.
The document discusses how the future job market is changing due to new technologies. It notes that while technology can increase efficiency, many workers may become unemployed unless they update their skills. It outlines several trends that will impact work, such as the rise of contract work, the importance of digital skills and analytics. Critical skills gaps are identified in both technical and management areas. Emerging in-demand jobs are listed like VR/AR architects and data scientists. The conclusion emphasizes that workers must enhance their skills through continuous learning to adapt to an automated future job market.
This document summarizes an interview between Edry Faizal, a Muslim coordinator, and Peter Toyat, a Catholic Christian, regarding the controversy over the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims in Malaysia. Both agree that it has become a political rather than religious issue. They believe Christians and Muslims share a common God and that no religion should be imposed by law. Both support the separation of religion and state.
Louise Hesse has over 25 years of nursing experience, specializing in infection prevention and control. She has received several awards for her work improving vaccination rates and implementing best practices like chlorhexidine bathing. As Infection Prevention Manager, she coordinates efforts to eliminate multi-drug resistant organisms and passed a recent Joint Commission survey without deficiencies. She also leads the local chapter of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology and has authored publications and grants on infection prevention topics.
El documento describe el accidente de Chernóbil en 1986 en la central nuclear Vladimir Ilich Lenin en Ucrania, donde un experimento para probar la seguridad del reactor salió mal y causó una fusión nuclear, liberando material radiactivo y contaminando amplias áreas. La central nuclear se encuentra a 18 km de la ciudad de Chernóbil.
What Drives Inventory Effectiveness in a Market-Driven World? Summary ChartsLora Cecere
Survey Details: The research for this report was conducted from February 12 – October 8, 2015. Surveys were conducted among Manufacturers, Retailers, and Wholesalers/Distributors/Co-operatives with $250M+ in revenue and who use (and are familiar with) inventory optimization software (n=64). Respondents were evenly split between those using basic (ERP or ERP+APS) and advanced (software in addition to ERP/APS) software. All surveys were conducted by Supply Chain Insights.
Objective: To understand the impact of inventory optimization software on supply chain excellence. NOTE: inventory optimization software was defined as “any form of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), APS (Advanced Planned Software), or sophisticated inventory planning tools.”
Highlight: Companies who use advanced software are more likely to be satisfied with their software, to be effective at making inventory decisions and to drive a return on investment for their software.
The document discusses sustainable graduate recruitment strategies when an organization's economy slows. It recommends:
1) Aligning graduate recruitment with the overall business strategy to demonstrate how it meets strategic objectives.
2) Differentiating the organization as an employer through meaningful mentoring and knowledge sharing.
3) Maximizing low-cost engagement opportunities like pre-graduate programs, social media branding, and low-cost campus events.
4) Measuring return on investment to prove graduate hiring's value when justifying budgets.
Our market update from Q4 last year painted a positive picture for 2015, with many hiring managers looking to capitalize on the continued increase in market confidence and increase headcount this year. Whilst I believe that this is still the case, we have seen a much slower start to permanent recruitment than anticipated, with many hiring managers having to wait for budgetary sign-off on permanent headcount. The outlook however remains positive with hiring managers who would have liked to have hired in Q1 now looking to Q2 to fulfill their resourcing needs. This delay has however resulted in the contracting market remaining strong.
The quantitative risk outlook for 2016 includes continued focus on CCAR driven projects and finalizing changes to the FRTB framework. There will be intense competition for quantitative talent as banks reduce headcounts while also needing skills in areas like risk management, XVA, and meeting new regulatory requirements. Candidates need the most up-to-date technical skills in areas like coding, statistics, and machine learning to stay competitive. Risk analytics is a growing field with opportunities for career advancement, as banks invest in projects utilizing new data and models. Regulatory changes on the horizon around areas like XVA, FRTB, and margins will likely cause departments to restructure and create new roles and teams.
There has been a 40% increase in demand for HR project leads in the interim space; candidates that have experience working across a number of client groups, and those that specialize in HR restructures and organisational change have been highly sought after.
According to a survey of finance leaders, 2016 will be a challenging year for attracting and retaining skilled accountancy and finance professionals. 71% of respondents believe skills shortages will significantly impact workloads, and 50% expect their ability to retain key talent will worsen. In-demand skills include leadership, commercial understanding, risk management, and data analytics. Almost half of finance teams lack disruptive talent needed for innovation. Rising workloads and competition for skills may lead to increased salaries and difficulties recruiting qualified professionals.
This report will give you an insight into how these, and much more local factors, have affected salaries and prospects for the future across all the specialisms Badenoch & Clark supports recruitment in. We’ve highlighted some of the most important trends and findings and there’s a wealth of richer and deeper insight into each of the areas in which we operate across our regional bases.
CareerBuilder For Staffing 2015 Q4 Pulse Survey CareerBuilder
Survey Findings to Give You The Edge You Need For 2016 Planning. For more staffing resources please visit: http://corporate.careerbuilder.com/staffingresources
The document summarizes key findings from the Robert Walters Global Salary Survey 2016 regarding recruitment trends in Vietnam. It finds that sustained demand on local talent pools has led employers to increasingly focus on recruiting returning Vietnamese professionals with international experience. While salary remains important, opportunities for career progression will be even more significant in 2016 given intensifying competition for talent. The document also provides an overview of recruitment trends and expected salary ranges by position for various industries in Ho Chi Minh City, including accounting and finance, banking and financial services, and engineering.
Salary surveys 2016 vn Adecco; Robert WaltersAnna Nguyen
The document summarizes key findings from the Robert Walters Global Salary Survey 2016 regarding recruitment trends in Vietnam. It finds that sustained demand on the local talent pool has resulted in an increased focus on recruiting returning Vietnamese professionals. While salary is an important factor, opportunities for career progression will be even more important in 2016 as competition for talent intensifies. The document also notes several industries that are expected to see continued hiring, including FMCG, supply chain and logistics, and manufacturing.
The document is Austin Rose's 2022 salary survey that provides market insights and salary ranges for various roles in audit, outsourcing/business services, tax, advisory, and payroll/company secretarial. It notes the continued strong demand for candidates and largest pay rises seen due to high inflation. Flexible working arrangements have become more prevalent and important for candidates. Audit roles in particular have faced staffing pressures due to lack of global mobility and increased workloads. Salary ranges provided indicate higher salaries for roles requiring a certain percentage of audit work versus general practice roles.
With 2018 upon us, Procore decided to have a look at what we may expect in the coming months. This calls for the inaugural release of the Procore Construction Industry Outlook (PCIO), which analyses the expectations within the construction sector for the next six months.
The PCIO is based on surveys carried out among construction industry leaders from across the U.S, and the responses are used to generate diffusion indices. The bigger the value, the better the results; values above 50 represent the signs of optimism.
Creating the Vision for Next Generation Talent AcquisitionCielo
Global shifts in talent (multigenerational workers), economic power (West to East) and technology (automation) have forced business to adapt to a new world. A key component to success going forward will be realizing the benefits brought by RPO 3.0, which builds upon the first generations of RPO and adds more long-term, strategic value.
This document summarizes an interview between Edry Faizal, a Muslim coordinator, and Peter Toyat, a Catholic Christian, regarding the controversy over the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims in Malaysia. Both agree that it has become a political rather than religious issue. They believe Christians and Muslims share a common God and that no religion should be imposed by law. Both support the separation of religion and state.
Louise Hesse has over 25 years of nursing experience, specializing in infection prevention and control. She has received several awards for her work improving vaccination rates and implementing best practices like chlorhexidine bathing. As Infection Prevention Manager, she coordinates efforts to eliminate multi-drug resistant organisms and passed a recent Joint Commission survey without deficiencies. She also leads the local chapter of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology and has authored publications and grants on infection prevention topics.
El documento describe el accidente de Chernóbil en 1986 en la central nuclear Vladimir Ilich Lenin en Ucrania, donde un experimento para probar la seguridad del reactor salió mal y causó una fusión nuclear, liberando material radiactivo y contaminando amplias áreas. La central nuclear se encuentra a 18 km de la ciudad de Chernóbil.
What Drives Inventory Effectiveness in a Market-Driven World? Summary ChartsLora Cecere
Survey Details: The research for this report was conducted from February 12 – October 8, 2015. Surveys were conducted among Manufacturers, Retailers, and Wholesalers/Distributors/Co-operatives with $250M+ in revenue and who use (and are familiar with) inventory optimization software (n=64). Respondents were evenly split between those using basic (ERP or ERP+APS) and advanced (software in addition to ERP/APS) software. All surveys were conducted by Supply Chain Insights.
Objective: To understand the impact of inventory optimization software on supply chain excellence. NOTE: inventory optimization software was defined as “any form of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), APS (Advanced Planned Software), or sophisticated inventory planning tools.”
Highlight: Companies who use advanced software are more likely to be satisfied with their software, to be effective at making inventory decisions and to drive a return on investment for their software.
The document discusses sustainable graduate recruitment strategies when an organization's economy slows. It recommends:
1) Aligning graduate recruitment with the overall business strategy to demonstrate how it meets strategic objectives.
2) Differentiating the organization as an employer through meaningful mentoring and knowledge sharing.
3) Maximizing low-cost engagement opportunities like pre-graduate programs, social media branding, and low-cost campus events.
4) Measuring return on investment to prove graduate hiring's value when justifying budgets.
Our market update from Q4 last year painted a positive picture for 2015, with many hiring managers looking to capitalize on the continued increase in market confidence and increase headcount this year. Whilst I believe that this is still the case, we have seen a much slower start to permanent recruitment than anticipated, with many hiring managers having to wait for budgetary sign-off on permanent headcount. The outlook however remains positive with hiring managers who would have liked to have hired in Q1 now looking to Q2 to fulfill their resourcing needs. This delay has however resulted in the contracting market remaining strong.
The quantitative risk outlook for 2016 includes continued focus on CCAR driven projects and finalizing changes to the FRTB framework. There will be intense competition for quantitative talent as banks reduce headcounts while also needing skills in areas like risk management, XVA, and meeting new regulatory requirements. Candidates need the most up-to-date technical skills in areas like coding, statistics, and machine learning to stay competitive. Risk analytics is a growing field with opportunities for career advancement, as banks invest in projects utilizing new data and models. Regulatory changes on the horizon around areas like XVA, FRTB, and margins will likely cause departments to restructure and create new roles and teams.
There has been a 40% increase in demand for HR project leads in the interim space; candidates that have experience working across a number of client groups, and those that specialize in HR restructures and organisational change have been highly sought after.
According to a survey of finance leaders, 2016 will be a challenging year for attracting and retaining skilled accountancy and finance professionals. 71% of respondents believe skills shortages will significantly impact workloads, and 50% expect their ability to retain key talent will worsen. In-demand skills include leadership, commercial understanding, risk management, and data analytics. Almost half of finance teams lack disruptive talent needed for innovation. Rising workloads and competition for skills may lead to increased salaries and difficulties recruiting qualified professionals.
This report will give you an insight into how these, and much more local factors, have affected salaries and prospects for the future across all the specialisms Badenoch & Clark supports recruitment in. We’ve highlighted some of the most important trends and findings and there’s a wealth of richer and deeper insight into each of the areas in which we operate across our regional bases.
CareerBuilder For Staffing 2015 Q4 Pulse Survey CareerBuilder
Survey Findings to Give You The Edge You Need For 2016 Planning. For more staffing resources please visit: http://corporate.careerbuilder.com/staffingresources
The document summarizes key findings from the Robert Walters Global Salary Survey 2016 regarding recruitment trends in Vietnam. It finds that sustained demand on local talent pools has led employers to increasingly focus on recruiting returning Vietnamese professionals with international experience. While salary remains important, opportunities for career progression will be even more significant in 2016 given intensifying competition for talent. The document also provides an overview of recruitment trends and expected salary ranges by position for various industries in Ho Chi Minh City, including accounting and finance, banking and financial services, and engineering.
Salary surveys 2016 vn Adecco; Robert WaltersAnna Nguyen
The document summarizes key findings from the Robert Walters Global Salary Survey 2016 regarding recruitment trends in Vietnam. It finds that sustained demand on the local talent pool has resulted in an increased focus on recruiting returning Vietnamese professionals. While salary is an important factor, opportunities for career progression will be even more important in 2016 as competition for talent intensifies. The document also notes several industries that are expected to see continued hiring, including FMCG, supply chain and logistics, and manufacturing.
The document is Austin Rose's 2022 salary survey that provides market insights and salary ranges for various roles in audit, outsourcing/business services, tax, advisory, and payroll/company secretarial. It notes the continued strong demand for candidates and largest pay rises seen due to high inflation. Flexible working arrangements have become more prevalent and important for candidates. Audit roles in particular have faced staffing pressures due to lack of global mobility and increased workloads. Salary ranges provided indicate higher salaries for roles requiring a certain percentage of audit work versus general practice roles.
With 2018 upon us, Procore decided to have a look at what we may expect in the coming months. This calls for the inaugural release of the Procore Construction Industry Outlook (PCIO), which analyses the expectations within the construction sector for the next six months.
The PCIO is based on surveys carried out among construction industry leaders from across the U.S, and the responses are used to generate diffusion indices. The bigger the value, the better the results; values above 50 represent the signs of optimism.
Creating the Vision for Next Generation Talent AcquisitionCielo
Global shifts in talent (multigenerational workers), economic power (West to East) and technology (automation) have forced business to adapt to a new world. A key component to success going forward will be realizing the benefits brought by RPO 3.0, which builds upon the first generations of RPO and adds more long-term, strategic value.
Why Talent Optimisation Must Be Your 2025 Imperative (Mark McKormack at Fuel5...Executive Leaders Network
Delivered at the Executive Leaders Network and Workplace X HR Leaders Event on Thursday 10th November 2022.
"Organisational resilience and workforce optimisation are now strategic imperatives in our new post-pandemic recession era. The world of work is being defined by talent shortages and the skills gaps crisis, with Reskilling, Recruiting and Retention now trending as the global HR challenges today. 80% of companies looking to future-proof their organisation need to understand their workforce better and tap into the fast-growing talent marketplace (SHRM). Join us as we enter the era of Talent Optimisation, where talents and skills will be your differentiator."
iKas International London Salary Survey April 2016Natalie Behan
This document provides salary information for software development roles in the financial services industry. It surveys both permanent and contracting salaries in 2016. For permanent roles, it found that over half of respondents did not receive a salary increase in 2015. Day rates for contractors have remained consistent in the £500-£800 range for roles like Java and C++ developers. There is high demand for skills in areas like big data, cloud computing and front-end development, but limited supply of candidates with those skills.
The document summarizes research into salaries and work-life balance in the UK housebuilding industry. It finds that while salaries for senior managers increased by an average of 5.5% in the past year, many are also taking on more responsibilities, working longer hours, and finding their work-life balance worsening. Specifically, 57% took on more responsibilities, 36% saw increased hours, and 42% now feel they do not have an acceptable work-life balance. Salaries varied regionally but are increasing across all disciplines. However, growth in the industry may slow, impacting future salary growth and restoring a better work-life balance.
Hiring volumes remained strong in compliance and change management roles in January 2013, while audit and operational risk recruitment was steady. Credit and market risk roles remained very quiet with some increase in quantitative and model validation roles. Most firms preferred internal mobility and direct sourcing over external hiring. There was uncertainty around job security as cost-cutting led to more restructuring. Bonus expectations were low with the exception of top US banks. Compliance recruitment increased to strengthen financial crime and AML functions in response to regulatory issues. Model validation and risk roles saw increased hiring demand. Operational risk roles were available due to redundancies in December.
Raising the standards in Apprenticeship Achievements rates.pdfThe Pathway Group
"Raising the Standard" publication circulating for a few months now that explores the underlying detail behind headline apprenticeship achievement rates that concludes that apprenticeship achievement rates should reach 67% by 2025. Presently nearly half of apprentices withdraw before completing their programme, this is a serious problem which compounds skills shortages in the UK – and the research identifies six major cross-sectoral themes driving apprenticeship withdrawals. These are: English and Maths requirements; malfunction of the Baker Clause; trainer retention and recruitment; employer engagement; challenges with end point assessment; and job or career change.
The construction, manufacturing and engineering industries faced a skills shortage after the 2009 recession led many students to pursue other careers. In response, the UK government has introduced new "degree apprenticeships" or "Trailblazers apprenticeships", which allow employers to design training programs that combine on-the-job learning with academic qualifications. These apprenticeships will be jointly funded by the government and employers, removing the financial barrier of tuition fees. They are aimed at attracting new entrants to the industries and allowing current professionals to progress, through earning a bachelor's or master's degree without debt. The program is seen as a potential solution to plugging the skills gap, if it proves cost-effective for businesses to participate.
The Forum for In-house Recruitment Managers (The FIRM) and The Write Research Company have partnered on the development of this Strategic Talent Acquisition Report designed to form an analysis of the on-going transformation of resourcing strategy and practice in the UK. The Report focuses on the following areas:
- The increasing strategic importance of talent acquisition
- Key priorities for Resourcing professionals
- Measuring the effectiveness of talent acquisition strategies
- The capability and expertise of in-house teams
- The development of talent pipelines aligned to workforce plans
- Career pathways for in-house Resourcing professionals
1. 1
FERNWELLS INSIGHT: APRIL 2016
QS Skills Shortage – are we close to riding out the problem?
Throughout 2014/15 we’ve seen various articles and quotes from a broad range of senior construction figures,
notably leaders from Cost Management consulting, affirming a Quantity Surveying skills shortage. The RICS has led
the way publishing numerous pieces at regular intervals, lobbying government for industry support and launching
their ‘Surveying the Future’ campaign.
The regularly quoted RICS UK Construction Survey findings to inform these view are generally:
85% of surveyors responding said a lack of qualified candidates meant they had problems recruiting
64% of survey respondents had particular difficulty sourcing quantity surveyors
15% of survey respondents noted a shortage of quantity surveyors in the same period in 2011
To highlight the issue bleak outlook headlines appeared such as “Will 2019 be the year the UK stops building?”, “Skill
gaps threaten 27,000 building projects” and “Shortage of quantity surveyors hits crisis levels”. One consultancy MD
commented “…in addition there is a huge shortage of newly qualified surveyors”. To use the volume of newly
chartered surveyors is probably a good barometer of the issue. With this in mind, here’s a closer look at the real data:
While there’s no arguing with the consensus that there’s great demand for QS talent, it is interesting to see that the
reality is an increasing number of QS’s achieving chartered status. Even compared to pre-recession, passes in ‘13-
‘14-’15 average 379 a year, while ’05-’06-’07 average just 277 a year.
Comparing the same years as many RICS informed articles (2011 and 2015), output increases marginally by real
terms 1.58%, dwarfed by a 19% increase in QS pathway APC passes between the same years.
Yr 2005 Yr 2006 Yr 2007 Yr 2008 Yr 2009 Yr 2010 Yr 2011 Yr 2012 Yr 2013 Yr 2014 Yr 2015
QS Passes 260 290 281 362 400 324 343 287 323 405 409
200
250
300
350
400
450
QSPasses
QS Pathway APC Passes per Year
2. 2
Progress, we might think – and yet the widespread view cannot be wrong, surely? So with a similar Construction
Output, increasing population of chartered QSs, why are we facing these “crisis levels” of talent?
Was it the Middle East construction boom fueling QS emigration? Is it vast programmes of work absorbing resource
(i.e. Crossrail)? The 1990’s recession driving skilled professionals away from construction? A retiring workforce?
There are a variety of causes coming together to create one effect. And this is not unique to 2015, we’ve been exactly
here before. Take a look back to 2007 and in the archives of Building Magazine you’ll find this article: “RICS claims
QS visa victory”. A delta between demand and availability of talent left cost consultancies and developer leadership
shouting for more QS talent. After campaigning, in July 2007 the Home Office agreed to add QS to the national
occupation shortage list. Cue recession. Since the 2007 addition to the skills shortage list Quantity Surveying has
been, and remains, removed from the list. Whether it is reinstated or not, overseas QSs aren’t the long term answer.
In the short term however the issues are talent acquisition and retention, alongside the challenge of market shifting
salaries across QS grades in consulting. As the articles and quotes build up, so too does the Chartered QS’ value –
perpetuating the issue as it becomes harder and harder to move well looked after talent.
In the consulting arena the ‘resource = revenue’ equation is felt more directly than many other industries. The case
for recruitment spend is particularly straightforward for fee earning resource, made simpler still by the skills shortage
and a requirement to be as competitive as possible for the best talent. So while some firms are strategically driving
cost reduction through a reliance on internal recruitment, others – often more entrepreneurial organisations – are
enjoying the access to high calibre passive talent that working with carefully selected specialist agencies brings.
These successes are being regularly reported, with articles announcing financial milestones and sharing success
stories of firms that, ironically, are often spin-offs from the big names that are prioritising process and costs over
opportunity and growth.
The critical challenge for most Cost/Construction Consultancies is the good Project to Senior grade QS. This gap is
created by a blend of issues. Firstly, a drop in graduate entry during the worst of recession, therefore the reduced
numbers passing APC in 2012 (the pass rate dropped a little to 62% that year, but the real picture is a drop in APCs
sat rather than an anomaly pass rate). Those 3-4 year PQE quantity surveyors would be top Project or moving to
Senior about now, if not already. There’s part one of the gap. The next part of our problem is an interesting issue for
cost management firms – the use of Associate grade as a retention tool. Many of those who would, until two years
ago, be content with Senior titles are pushing for Associate now they see their colleagues or peers in other firms
reach the title ahead of traditional meritocratic timeline. And with the title, the inflated salary expectation. There is
some good news however. The pain, we think, may soon begin to ease.
In 2014 and 2015 the APC passes increased well above the numbers we saw pre-recession. Providing we as an
industry, employers and recruiters too, can bring salary expectations back to reality (we routinely see 0-6 months
PQE QSs talking about £50k after 2-3 years in industry and having just got their letters), these larger numbers of
qualifying QSs spells good news as they progress and fill the gaps left at Project and Senior grades by current market
conditions.
In the meantime, using carefully selected specialist agencies to identify and attract the best talent will likely be the
difference between securing top talent and continuing to struggle against market conditions. And for candidates, there
is so much noise in the market from inexperienced agents pushing salaries beyond reality, that it has become even
more important to choose who you work with diligently to ensure a positive candidate experience and maximum
career impact.
FernWells will continue to share its thoughts on the market with a series of Insights combining real data and our
experience delivering recruitment capability to the Construction Consultancy sector. Read more at
www.fernwells.com/blog
written by David Wells, Director at FernWells (david.wells@fernwells.com)