Why not work in... Brighton?
Hays Construction & Property reports on the latest employment trends in Brighton and the South East.
Overview
Brighton is currently taking centre stage within the South East for a number of large-scale developments. This activity has exacerbated shortages across the area for trained, qualified professionals, with relevant experience.
According to Rob Buckingham, Hays Construction & Property senior manager, “the local construction business is witnessing considerable growth across the board, from contractors and architects to social housing and maintenance companies.”
What's going on?
Around £2 billion worth of building work is either underway or in the pipeline in Brighton highlighting the scale and number of projects. These include King Alfred, Black Rock and the Brighton Centre.
The New England Quarter in Brighton’s station area is also currently being developed. Adenstar, an established local contractor is overseeing the £40million shell and core for Barratts’ residential accommodation, retail stores and enabling works.
The development project started 18 months ago and is due to be completed at the end of 2006. This and other high profile regeneration projects have been pivotal in raising Brighton’s profile.
Good for...
The region is currently seeing a particularly high demand for chartered surveyors and building and general practice surveyors. In addition, there is a strong demand for architects with good construction and technical knowledge – in particular, technicians with 5-10 years' experience.
Many local companies also have vacancies for quantity surveyors, commonly for those with over five years experience of main contracting. Quantity surveyors are recognising their worth and demanding higher salaries that local contractors are struggling to meet.
A design and build manager was recruited recently following a brief campaign highlighting the strong position that experienced professionals are currently in. The candidate offered 25 years' experience and subsequently received a generous package of £50K plus benefits such as a pension and healthcare.
Bad for...
Skilled architects are in high demand, which has had a positive effect on salaries. However, it also means that many employees are being stretched to their limits, which has impacted on deadlines and general morale. One consultant referred to a client who was working 19 days continuously in order to meet his workload.
Alison Whicher, Hays Construction & Property Senior Manager, comments: “The skills shortage has had a tremendous impact throughout the region, with some positions taking several months to fill. Not only is it difficult to find suitably qualified junior candidates, but we are also struggling to fill more senior positions.”
The search for a qualified and experienced electrical associate provides an example of this. It necessitated an extensive search and a comprehensive recruitment campaign in order to find a suitable candidate. The candidate possessed seven years' experience as an associate and took the position for a salary of over £50K, plus a generous employment package.
Significantly, the shortages aren’t as prevalent for site managers, project managers and contracts managers. For example, a contracts manager in the South East was appointed within ten days of the consultant receiving the brief. The candidate that was appointed was previously a project manager who had over 20 years of experience in the industry.
How much would I get paid?
Employers have begun to recognise that there is a severe skills shortage and as a result, salaries in Sussex are soaring with employers fighting to keep hold of their skilled, senior employees.
This has particularly been the case for architects and quantity surveyors - employees that are in great demand. According to the Hays consultants in the area, this has led to salary increases of around 5-10% for these positions.
For further information regarding projects in Brighton or the South East, you can contact Stephanie Coombs on 01273 734694.
