Hays Trades & Labour
January - March 2012
Hotspots
Heavy Diesel Fitters top the list of trades and labour skills in demand across the country. For example, Queensland needs experienced Heavy Diesel Fitters for the mining sector, while the wet season will create demand for Machine Operators and Drillers as production levels increase.
In Victoria there is an increased and ongoing need for Heavy Diesel Fitters within the earthmoving and construction industries. The state also has a continuous demand for experienced candidates in the parks and gardens and environmental services sectors. Diesel Mechanics, Tree Workers, Waste Truck Drivers, Drainage Operators, skilled Mechanical Plumbers and HV Electricians are needed.
In regional Western Australia, there is an increasing mismatch between the number of available skilled trades and labour candidates within the civil industry and the more traditional construction trades industry. While there are still many candidates seeking to pursue a FIFO career, skill shortages have started to emerge within all areas of the civil market, from plant operators through to HD Fitters. Demand in these areas continues to grow and we envisage an even greater level of demand this year as new major projects run alongside the current project workload.
Meanwhile in Perth, experienced construction staff with DG, RA, SA, HP, LF and Traffic Control tickets are in high demand, with employers utilising their many tickets. The New Year brought with it a new range of large commercial construction projects, which will complement existing sites in the metropolitan area, giving Perth the injection of positions required to attract skilled trades and labour candidates.
Overcoming skills shortages
In the mining sector, bulk recruitment and an increase in volume recruitment drives for apprentices have been the main strategy used to overcome the shortage. We have also noted an increased level of interest in candidate attraction in recent weeks, as employers act to secure candidates who may be either out of work or passively seeking a new opportunity in the New Year.
The coming quarter
In Victoria, the parks and gardens, arboriculture, environmental services and mechanical trades industries are now booming. In Queensland's mining sector we will see an increase in temporary assignments. Queensland's wet season will create opportunities for tradesman/women as production levels increase.
Western Australia's booming resources and mining sector, in addition to the influx of state government and privately funded projects and the continued growth of Perth as a city will create more options for skilled candidates over the coming months. But with a transient trades and labour population, retaining skilled, ticketed candidates will remain an uphill struggle given their constant search for FIFO positions.
Employer trends
Within mining, we note an increase in the recruitment of apprentices. Employers are also becoming more flexible and are recruiting related skills and offering training programmes.
Companies prefer to retain current temporary staff for longer assignments due to the shortage of high quality candidates.
Candidate trends
We are seeing an increase in the number of mining trades and labour candidates returning to Queensland. We are also seeing an increase in candidates without mining experience attempting to move into the mining industry.
At the same time, an increasing number of candidates from the Eastern states are attempting to break into the Western Australian FIFO industry. Candidates with a civil background in particular are being recruited by employers far more regularly than they once were.
Given Perth's transient trades and labour population, retaining skilled, ticketed candidates will remain a challenge for the year ahead.
In Victoria, the downturn in the residential market has led to an influx in the number of tradesmen/women seeking new opportunities in similar or other areas.
