ANZSCO 2332-11, 12, 13, 14 Northern Territory
Civil Engineering Professionals March 2017
Labour Economics Office Northern Territory
Department of Employment
Current labour market rating Recruitment Difficulty
Previous labour market rating (March 2016) Recruitment Difficulty
Comments
Current research indicates that although there are significant numbers of qualified and experienced civil engineers looking for work in the Northern Territory, employers surveyed continue to experience difficulties in recruiting civil engineers with the necessary skills and experience to meet their needs.
Survey results[1]
· The Department of Employment’s survey of employers who had recently advertised for civil engineering professionals shows 25 per cent of vacancies were filled compared to 67 per cent in 2016. All vacancies surveyed were in the metropolitan region.
· In contrast, the average number of applicants per vacancy of 23.3 is a significant increase from 10.4 in 2016 and 16.4 in 2015. Allowing for large projects which attracted more than twenty applicants, the number of applicants averaged at 17.1, which still remains higher than in recent years. Part of the increase is due to international applicants with working rights within Australia.
· There were 14 qualified applicants per vacancy compared to 7.1 qualified applicants per vacancy in 2016.
· The number of suitable applicants increased from an average of 1.0 in 2016 to 1.8 in 2017. This however still remains lower than the 2.4 suitable applicants per vacancy recorded in 2015.
· There were two key factors which impacted the ability of the employer to fill their vacancies; the first was a lack of experience, in particular specific experience which the employer required; and secondly, location and/or re-location. In some instances, family members did not want to relocate and so job offers were not taken up.
· Overall, 60 per cent of applicants were qualified.
· A small number of employers employed graduates, advising of their difficulties to fill vacancies which required experience, knowledge and specialised skills.
· Senior management roles requiring ten to fifteen years’ experience in Leadership skills were unable to be filled.
Unsuitable applicants
· 68 per cent of qualified applicants were considered unsuitable by employers. The main reasons cited were:
o A lack of basic qualification skills, practical work experience to an industry or specialisation. For example in design skills, roads and highway projects , water and waste management; knowledge of the local environment;
o Communication skills and additional skill sets that may be required for the position;
o Applicants unwillingness to relocate or travel to remote locations; and
o Issues relating to remuneration and/or hours.
· If applicants could not satisfy all of the selection criteria of the vacancy they were regarded as unsuitable.
Demand and supply trends
· Civil engineers are predominantly employed in engineering consultancies, construction and the government sector, and demand is dependent on levels of activity in the construction and resources sector. The highest employing industries for civil engineering professionals are professional, scientific and technical services industry and the construction industry.[2]
· Available labour force data[3] and the Departments Internet Vacancy Index (IVI) data suggest a moderate increase in demand over the past year.[4]
· The value of building work done in the Northern Territory has decreased by 13 per cent over the twelve months to March 2017.[5]
· Supply from temporary migration is relatively small with ten 457 visas granted for civil engineers to work in the Northern Territory between July 2016 to March 2017, a decrease on the 21, 457 visas granted between July 2015 and June 2016.[6]
· Training for this profession in the Northern Territory is through Charles Darwin University (CDU) which offers studies in Bachelors of Engineering Science, Engineering Honours and a Master of Engineering.
Other Indicators
· In the 2017-18 Budget, the Northern Territory Government forecast its economy to transition from ‘growth led by record levels of private investment’ towards’ export-driven growth, largely dominated by activity related to the Inpex “Ichthys” LNG project. Public investment is expected to be a significant contribution to the NT economic activity with the $1.75 billion infrastructure investment program in 2017-18’.[7]
Labour Economics Office Northern Territory
Department of Employment
[1] The methodology underpinning this research is outlined at Skill Shortage Research Methodology | Department of Employment - Document library, Australian Government and can also be accessed by the QR code.
[2] ABS, Population data, Northern Territory, 2011 Census.
[3] ABS, Labour Force, February 2017, Department of Employment trend data, Employment by State by Occupation, Time Series. Note: data for the NT is subject to high statistical variability and should be used with caution; and
[4] Department of Employment, Internet Vacancy Index, April 2017, 12 month moving average
[5] ABS, Cat 8755.0 Construction Work Done, Australia Preliminary, Table 05, Value of Building Work Done, Chain Volume Measures, States and Territories, Seasonally Adjusted
[6] Department of Immigration and Border Protection, 457 Visas pivot tables, March 2017.
[7] Northern Territory Budget 2017-18, Economic Outlook, page 7