Employment Jobs survey
Internet protocol networks are making it easier to create integrated control systems
junior staff. Overall, consultant engineers felt the worst effects of falling salaries, compared with contractors and mechanical and electrical engineers. Estimators, however, saw modest increases in their salaries. In the past, many salaries were inflated due to skills
shortages in the industry, according to Hays. In the current climate employees are facing a pay squeeze and, in some cases, a cut in hours. However, there are now positive signs emerging that
the recruitment market is livening up. ‘It has been a tough year but we are starting to see more optimism from both employers and jobseekers,’ McNally says. ‘Recruitment continues to take place with an air of caution and there are hesitant but sure signs of more movement in the market. ‘The landscape of building services has been hit
hard over last twelve months but hope is beginning to pervade the market, albeit coupled with some caution. The consultancy market has suffered more than the contracting market but we are starting to see signs of it bottoming out.’
The survey in figures
72% did not receive a salary increase in 2009 35% say they will change jobs within a year 22% favour a move to the energy industry 46% have been asked to consider a cut in hours 33% agreed to reduce their hours 63% have had to consider flexible working 70% believe there are not enough new recruits 27% say the sector is not seen as exciting to work in 23% believe salary/benefits are uncompetitive
www.cibsejournal.com
Staff across the building services industry say they
feel undervalued, with more than a third expecting to change jobs in the next 12 months. Perhaps more worrying for employers, more than
a fifth of professionals surveyed saw themselves as moving into another type of role in the coming year. Respondents cited mechanical engineering (28 per cent), electrical engineering (22 per cent) and the power sector (22 per cent) as their most popular choices. However, 55 per cent said that they would stay with
their current employer if issues such as salary, and training and development were addressed. ‘Overall, employers are doing less to retain and
attract staff, as they feel as though they are in a strong position to be able to recruit. In some places, in-house training or a promotion is offered to attract prospective employees where the salary on offer may not be very competitive,’ says Rebecca Coen, section manager at Hays Building Services. A huge 70 per cent of respondents feel that there was
a lack of people entering the building services industry, with many perceiving this as being down to a lack of understanding about job roles. More than a fifth believe the building services industry is not perceived as an exciting one to work in, and that salary and benefits packages are not viewed as competitive. Other reasons for the industry’s failure to attract
recruits were: not many jobs available; lack of visibility of qualifications; and lack of a career path. Key ways of attracting more new entrants to the building services industry include offering clear routes for progression, improved graduate schemes and higher salaries. Despite employees feeling, for the most part,
negative towards their current situation, 85 per cent felt that their work-life balance was either good or
>
More than a third of building services engineering professionals say they will look to change their job in the coming year.
It’s a tough year
but we are starting to see more optimism from both employers and jobseekers
– Mike McNally
May 2010 CIBSE Journal
47
All images Shutterstock
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76