Bankable future for construction
The needs are as ‘vast’ as the industry
scenes … it’s a very large industry.”
Walker says that at least pushing out to 2024, it’s going to be sustainable rather than rampant growth in the industry. “Government will continue its investing in infrastructure. Even residential will be up — we don’t have enough houses to accommodate everyone. This will also create opportunity.
“I think why you’re seeing the demand being so broad is, because of the election, the political parties make a lot of promises to appeal to the voter with projects around infrastructure and housing.
“Also there’s sheer population growth. This isn’t just related to more full-time residents in New Zealand, but also the tourist industry and its needs. We haven’t expanded our infrastructure for a long period of time. There’s talk of increasing access to the airport and getting to beautiful sites.”
He says this growth isn’t just in the main centres, it’s a regional and provincial story.
“There’s so much investment to ensure we’re able to accommodate our permanent and temporary population.
“There are also residential projects and the growth of retail projects.
When people are more confident in the market, we see more investment growth.”
Walker says, “New Zealand is still a highly desirable place to come to, whether to live or visit, that puts more pressure on our resources. We need to protect those resources and accommodate growth.”
So what about those people who are working in the construction industry or who would like to?
“The advice I’d give is that because there will be a lot of opportunities, it’s important to really sit down and think of what direction you want to go in,” he says.
“Look at how you can take your career forward and what will that mean as far as what sort of work you want to do, what project would you like to work on and what support do you require?”
“Look at what motivates you, what you want, and why you want it and then look at what’s available.
“Now that there’s so many options — you have choices. For the first time in a long time it will be a sustainable industry over a long time. It’s not as boom and bust as it’s been.”
Walker suggests those in the industry also look at how you can increase your value in the market — “Work on different projects. Look at your career path — there are stories of trades people becoming project managers and business managers. Look at how you get there — maybe find a mentor who can help you go on the path you want.”
He says the industry has been about doing what you can now and thinking short-term — but this has changed, and it’s important to take advantage of that. “It’s time to change ways of thinking. Look at who will help you get to where you want to go and how to go ahead on your journey.
“Don’t feel you can’t talk to your current employer about these things — there may be help in your organisation to help you with training and a leg up, particularly if they don’t want to lose you to someone else. Do your research, find your opportunities, be proactive.
“The country does not have enough workers to accommodate the present growth. We’re already at our peak in how many residential homes we can build in a year. We just don’t have the tradesmen, the project managers or the capability.
“The same is with commercial and roading projects. We do not have enough people training into the industry, we don’t have enough people with the skills right now and we don’t have enough people coming in offshore.
“That is why there’s a salary rise — there’s a significant number of projects and competition to employ people. It comes down to supply and demand.”
However, salary increases can’t go beyond the profitability of the build for the company.
He says, employers need also to look at the non-financial factors that can keep people engaged and wanting to work for them rather than the competition.
“Salaries are competitive, but what people will be really comparing will be work culture, work conditions, type of people they’re working for and with the quality of the project.”