Hays Energy - January 2010

Hotspots

Power Plant Operators are needed in Queensland as new major hydrocarbon power plants come online, resulting in increased demand for operations and maintenance staff.

Project Managers are also required to oversee the design and construction of new power plants, retrofitting of power plants with new carbon saving technology and major substation and switchgear projects. Contract Managers are needed to oversee the contractual relationships between project partners on new power plants, switchgear and substation projects.

In Western Australia, it is Electrical and Mechanical Engineers with construction experience and lines people that are needed. These skills are needed for a number of power stations that are being built or refurbished, particularly in the Collie area and Karratha region. Meanwhile, the state transmission and distribution electricity provider will be releasing upgrade packages to contractors, and in turn they will need qualified lines people.

In Victoria, renewable energy remains an area of high recruitment demand, with vacancies in both design and construction. There is a shortage of candidates in this relatively new industry and a number of wind farms are entering the construction phase, requiring skilled site engineers.

The state also needs skilled tradespeople, including Glove and Barrier lines workers, HV Fitters and Cable Jointers. Significant investment in maintaining Victoria's electrical infrastructure has resulted in this need within both the utility organisations and contractors.

In New South Wales, Mechanical Engineers are needed as the focus moves from wind to solar. Substantial capital investment by utilities will also create demand for construction (civil) Project Managers.

Turning to Tasmania, candidates experienced in the design and delivery of power infrastructure projects are needed given upgrades across the Tasmanian distribution and transmission grid.

The coming quarter

As employers gain confidence, recruiting activity should increase in the first half of 2010. Permanent job flow should rise as employers secure talent before skill shortages take hold. Meanwhile, employers have come to view temporary assignments as a successful method for accessing the skills they need quickly.

Demand has recently increased on the design and drafting side, which is a good indicator for construction projects.

Executive

Some multidisciplinary engineering consultancies continue to diversify into the energy sector, and thus require executive candidates to spearhead the new areas of business.

Employer trends

The timeframe of the recruiting process remains lengthy, since often business cases are required prior to appointment. Employers also want to ensure they select not only the right candidate, but have the workload to justify the increased personnel. Therefore, those employers that can move quickly have an advantage as they can secure the best available candidate.

Salaries remain competitive and employers demand very specific candidate requirements in both skill sets and professional qualifications.

Given the shortage of skills, Victoria's renewable energy employers are looking for candidates with transferable skills from other heavy infrastructure projects. This includes mining, coal fired power generation and oil and gas.

A number of employers across Australia are looking to bring in trade skills from overseas. Several employers have recruited tradespeople from New Zealand. They offer more competitive salaries than can be achieved in New Zealand.

Candidate trends

While vacancies typically receive a large number of applications, the majority of these are unsuitable. There is still a shortage of highly skilled and specialised candidates and the market is as competitive as ever for these people. Candidates are still prepared to relocate for challenging projects, but they do expect a good benefit package in return.