Skills in demand: Engineering, IT and Sales lead jobs growth

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Engineering, IT and sales are just three of the skills sought by the 48% of employers in New Zealand who say they’ll increase permanent staff levels in the year ahead.

According to recruiting experts Hays, vacancy activity will also be evident in operational management, construction, marketing, human resources and office support.

“Improved market conditions across New Zealand are leading to increasing vacancy activity,” says Jason Walker, Managing Director of Hays in New Zealand. “The industrial and construction sectors are major drivers thanks to large infrastructure projects, while general business confidence and a strong economic trading environment are seeing market growth and associated job creation.

“As a result, candidates with skills in demand are now in short supply. While candidates are available, it is highly skilled and experienced professionals who are needed.

“With increased vacancy activity, natural attrition has risen. We’re also seeing more new roles created as headcounts grow.”

These findings were revealed in the recruiter’s annual Hays Salary Guide, and are supported by its latest Hays Quarterly Report, covering the July to September 2017 quarter and released today, which shows demand for a wide range of skills. These include:

Structural Engineers due to the number of new build developments within the commercial and residential sectors. Seismic experience is also needed;
Civil Engineers for consultancies and developers in response to land development and infrastructure projects;
Registered Architects and experienced Technicians as Christchurch moves into the next phase of its CBD commercial rebuild, Wellington recovers from earthquakes and Auckland drives ahead with new commercial and residential projects;
Quantity Surveyors, Project Managers, Site Managers and Forepersons with large-scale commercial project experience or seismic strengthening experience;
Development Managers due to strong demand for land acquisition from local and international property developers;
Multi-skilled Facilities Managers with a good knowledge of building management systems and the engineering of a building for commercial developments, hotels and apartments;
JavaScript Developers who have the ability to build light weight single page applications using contemporary technologies;
IT specialists across DevOps, cloud and security;
Analysts as employers add analytical heads to their team in response to more complex business requirements and better quality data from improved ERP systems;
Business Partners who can deliver actionable financial results;
Accounts Clerks and Bookkeepers as SMEs reduce costs and bring accounts processing in-house;
Business Advisory and Tax Seniors and Managers in professional practice and with New Zealand experience;
HR generalists to provide expertise across a wide spectrum of areas including employment, retention and attraction;
Salespeople with a strong technical background in the building, engineering and light industrial sectors and a track record of winning new business or managing key accounts;
Telesales, telemarketing, outbound and inbound sales and cross-selling customer service skills in call centres, particularly across the insurance and banking sectors;
Electrical Engineers with primary or secondary substation experience for the energy sector;
Commercial Brokers, Complex Commercial Loss Adjustors and Technical Commercial Claims Consultants in insurance;
Corporate Commercial Lawyers for both private practice and in-house roles;
Digital Marketing Specialists with design, copywriting and web publishing skills;
Office Managers who can take on a range of duties including stock take, office administration, assisting a manager or executive and overseeing junior staff;
Qualified Plumbers and NZ registered Electricians as smaller projects complete structural work and larger projects commence.