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It cannot be denied that we are in a very tough market at the moment. The constant "doom and gloom" headlines from press and trade journals are trying their best to dampen the spirits of even the best of us.
The best performing sector in recent months, civil engineering, is no exception. With some private companies opting to "recruit from within" before looking for an external resource, mixed with an air of nervousness from job seekers hesitant to dip their toe into the market, there is no way of ignoring that there are fewer positions available.
The best performing sector in recent months, civil engineering, is no exception. With some private companies opting to "recruit from within" before looking for an external resource, mixed with an air of nervousness from job seekers hesitant to dip their toe into the market, there is no way of ignoring that there are fewer positions available.
According to a recent figure reported by Sky News, there were 14,849 job losses from June 2008 to November 2008 in the civil engineering sector. Some of the UK's leading engineering consulting firms have all shed their jobs during the last quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009, states New Civil Engineer (NCE) news.
What's more, a continuous increase in the prices of steel and cement is adding fuel to the fire. The economic advisor of Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA), Jim Turner, confirmed that their January 2008 survey showed biggest ever rise in the materials cost. He believes that this is certainly a tough time since clients are not going to be tolerant on higher tender prices and this might lead to a lower volume of work.
On the contrary, a recent research shows that the civil engineering market has started to bounce back as it has shown growth in January 2009. According to analysts Glenigan, compared to December 2008, a sharp rise in the civil engineering sector is witnessed. The sector has also shown an increase of 18% compared to a year ago.
In addition, the announcement of several new projects has given an extra boost to this sector. The Rail industry, in particular, looks set to have a busy season with Crossrail frameworks being announced in early 2009 as well as major station overhauls and infrastructure upgrades planned on the London Underground. The East London Line Extension, Thameslink and the Olympics will all add to increased demand for experienced candidates.
Once the funding for the £5 Billion M25 widening project gets finalised, an influx of Highway Engineering jobs, both site and design is expected to be seen. This DBFO project is by far the largest Highway Engineering scheme underway in the UK.
Besides that, the demand for skilled personal throughout the whole country remains strong. A huge increase in demand for ITS engineers has been seen recently. Candidates from a broad background are being considered ranging from Civil, Transportation, Electronics or Rail. There are vacancies in key locations across the UK for Assistant Project Managers and Project Managers as well.
Despite a decline in many industry sectors due to recession, the civil engineering sector in UK is expected to remain strong in 2009. It will certainly benefit from the new projects announced for rail and road infrastructure.
