Welcome one and all to another monthly edition of the CGC Newsletter. As we move into the final month of the first quarter of 2014 the engineering and construction job market has picked up some great momentum.

A significant trend this month is the number of companies who are engaging CGC to find specialist staff in preparation of winning large marquee projects, both within buildings and infrastructure. Forward thinking clients see the importance of ensuring they have the best project teams in order to deliver a first class service to the end client.

Here at CGC we are always posing the question to our clients, no matter what their size, what is your recruitment strategy?
While many organisations are forward thinking enough to utilise social media to assist in their recruitment processes, only a small minority have ever referred to specific social media strategy or indeed to a wider talent acquisition strategy. CGC take great pride in partnering with their clients and forming part of their talent acquisition strategy.

As the market continues to improve are you partnering with trustworthy specialist recruiters to assist in your wider talent acquisition? Whilst there are pressures to reduce recruitment spend and attract talent directly to a business, a common restriction to business growth is the traditional HR approach to recruitment which fails to recognise talent acquisition as a strategic function in its own right.
Without a specific recruitment strategy in place, there can be no real direction for driving sourcing activities, managing processes, or for delivering a world class- recruitment experience. This will often lead to significant and costly inefficiencies and, ultimately, a largely reactive recruitment function, fire-fighting vacancies as they arrive.

In short, an effective recruitment strategy should provide a comprehensive blueprint for not only who your organisation should recruit, but also for when, where and how that recruitment should take place. The CGC team currently offer tailored advice to their clients on anything from salary information, market mapping, contingency recruitment or retained search work.

What are the characteristics of an effective recruitment strategy?
Organisational factors, including the design and location of your recruitment team, their exact responsibilities, and the recruitment processes themselves. Rather than being simply reactive, a significant amount of your recruitment should be part of a much wider plan for business growth, new strategic skills or movement into a new sector or area. Partnering recruiters who are immersed in their sector can add value by advising of growth sectors, profitable business streams and development of technology and best practice across your competitors.

You should be able to take a defined, consistent employer brand to the marketplace. Rather than selling merely vacancies, you should be promoting opportunities.

Are you working closely with third-party agencies to communicate your employer brand to its best effect?
Are you meeting and in regular dialogue with your external partnering recruitment agencies?
Are you embracing a partnering agencies ability to market your company and subsequently raise the profile of your business?
Are you ensuring that you have the opportunity to speak with the best talent in the market by finding that external recruiter you trust?

CGC are able to recruit for different sizes of organisations, whether it’s a boutique company who partner with CGC to assist in their full recruitment strategy or partnering with an internal recruitment team of large multinational, CGC are at hand to assist with your wider talent acquisition strategy.
This month one of CGCs consultants offer their insight into their specific market.

Industry Snapshot

Evan Morgans, Senior Consultant – Building Services (Consulting)
We are already well into 2014 and the trends in the market are becoming more apparent.

Perth – This market was largely underpinned by projects within the mining sector and is continuing to be affected by the downswing in the resources market. However with several large scale projects to be awarded including the new Perth stadium it is anticipated that a shift in focus will see things turnaround in Q2 of the calendar year.

Brisbane – Continues its steady growth with many mid-tier consultancies turning round smaller scale projects quickly in order to turn a profit. Larger scale jobs are still relatively thin on the ground in QLD although the commonwealth games project in the Gold Coast is the notable exception to the trend.

Sydney – Continues to grow largely driven by Barangaroo, the Convention Centre and the James Packer owned Casino project. Aside from these giants the market is being dominated by the 2nd tier consultancies who can offer quick turnaround results on smaller scale commercial projects.

Skill sets in demand include Revit Drafters, BIM Modellers, Hydraulic and Electrical Engineers across intermediate and senior levels.

Key development in the recruitment industry

THE federal government has quietly removed caps on 457 visas in an effort to deregulate and remove unnecessary red tape on the skilled immigration program.
It means employers will not be penalised or scrutinised if they hire more foreign staff than they applied for.
The change was made on February 14. The industry association for Australia’s engineering firms, Consult Australia, applauded the government’s move. “This will allow employers to assess employment needs as the market changes, rather than sticking to a fixed limit for three years,”

However, the unions fail to recognise this move as a positive step. “It is reopening a rort for employers,” Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union national secretary Dave Noonan reportedly told Fairfax Media.

“Even if the department checks, there is no administrative measure they can take.”

The Australian Workers Union reportedly said the change would also exploit vulnerable workers.
“It’s deeply concerning that in a jobs crisis the government is sneaking through changes that undermine local jobs and conditions,” AWU assistant national secretary Scott McDine reportedly said. The Coalition government will further review the 457 visa program – which Labor had severely tightened last year – through an independent panel, reportedly comprised of Deloitte Australia, the Australian National University, Ernst and Young and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.