Construction has been named as Australia’s most attractive sector in which to work, according to a survey of more than 6,000 employees.

Releasing the latest edition of its Randstad Employer Brand Research, multi-national recruitment firm Randstad said that construction along with transport and logistics rank as the most attractive sectors of employment for prospective candidates and staff.

Across both sectors, 54 percent of survey respondents ranked these as being within their top sectors in which they would prefer to work.

This was followed by health and social work, education, public sector and mining and quarrying.

Construction firms who are identified as leading the way include CPB Contractors, Ventia and UGL.

Respondents recognised these companies for job security, financial health, attractive salaries and work-life balance.

The latest survey comes as Australia’s construction sector is gearing up to deliver upon a massive rollout of work over coming years.

This includes a record pipeline of road and rail projects, a national housing target of 1.2 million new homes over the five years from 1 July 2024 and the rollout of the renewable energy transition.

In 2024/25, the Australian Construction Industry Forum expects the dollar value of work done throughout the construction sector to reach over $300 billion for the first time.

Such activity is expected to provide opportunities for skilled workers.

Simply to deliver upon the clean energy transition, a report by Jobs and Skills Australia last October found that the nation would need to increase the number of workers across 38 critical occupations from 1.6 million to 2.2 million between now and 2050.

Many of those occupations involve building and engineering.

In an interview with Sourceable, Clayton Colbert, Director of Randstad’s Construction & Engineering division, said that the value of being seen as an employer of choice should not be underestimated.

For individual firms, a strong employer brand makes it easier to attract talent as and when needed and thus to successfully deliver upon projects.

Strong employer brands also help to improve staff retention. In turn, this helps to maximise productivity, improve knowledge retention and minimise costs and disruption which are associated with recruiting and onboarding.

This is particularly important as employers across the industry are in a competitive race to secure a limited talent pool of workers.

From a broader industry viewpoint, meanwhile, having construction seen as an attractive sector in which to work will be critical in developing a workforce which has sufficient capacity to deliver upon the aforementioned pipeline of work.

This will be critical as construction competes for skills with industries such as mining, defence and manufacturing.

“As a country, Australia has a huge future plan for residential housing development, power and energy renewables infrastructure and transport infrastructure,” Colbert said.

“The Australian Government has made a commitment to expanding and developing that infrastructure to keep up with the demands of the Australian population. That’s the reason why it is really important for the construction industry to maintain a strong focus and be an attractive place to work.

“If you look at the next generation that are coming out of schools and universities, every industry is fighting to promote their industry as one where you can have a great career, you can earn lots of money, you can have a good time and there are lots of benefits so that you are drawn to that industry.”

According to Colbert, working in construction offers several benefits.

These include:

• Job security and stability, with stable opportunities for people over the longer term.
• High levels of personal satisfaction as a result of the ability to contribute to society and the economy in a highly practical manner.
• Opportunities for career development and clearly defined pathways that enable people to progress through to senior management positions.
• A diverse range of opportunities which can suit a wide range of people. These include hands on trades roles (woodwork, carpentry, electrical etc.) through to white collar functions such as programming, planning and scheduling, safety, quality, cost estimating and quantity surveying.

Much of the sector’s appeal has been enhanced by greater visibility over recent years.

This has arisen as a result of large road and rail projects along with persistent media focus on housing and energy.

Asked about key features which are typically observed in employers of choice, Colbert says these differ between Tier 1 firms and smaller enterprises.

In terms of the former, attractions can include higher salaries, strong and recognisable brands, large and complex projects and a structured approach to career development.

For small and medium enterprises, benefits may include a more personalised work environment, faster career progression and a close-knit culture.

Opportunities for workers in smaller firms may be less structured and may involve people working on a greater variety of projects.

Asked about strategies which can help to create a positive employer brand, Colbert says that action can be taken in several areas.

First it is important to have a competitive salary offering.

Beyond this, other measures can include:

• non-salary value propositions such as health insurance or retirement plans
• flexible work options such as staggered shifts, remote work for certain roles and working from home
• career advancement opportunities such as training and development programs
• positive work environments which are safe and which place a high value on worker health and wellbeing (simple measures such as basic safety training regarding tasks or equipment should not be overlooked); and
• measures to promote diversity and equality as well as to foster a culture of innovation, broader thinking and social responsibility.

At a broader industry level, Colbert encourages action in three areas.

First, he says there is significant value in promoting construction through collaboration and construction joint ventures, partnerships with education institutions and apprenticeship programs.

Speaking particularly on the first point, Colbert says that such collaboration can highlight the benefits of working in construction, showcase the opportunities which are on offer and highlight career success stories as well as career pathways.

This will help to attract young people into the industry who see promising futures for themselves.

Next, continued uptake of new technologies and sustainable practices will help to not only improve productivity but also to attract the younger generation – especially women.

Finally, Colbert says that it is important to continue to promote diversity and inclusion and to make the industry more attractive to women as well as other under-represented groups.

Across several blue-collar industries (construction, mining, energy etc.), Colbert says there is a push to develop a more diverse workforce.

(Australia is gearing up to deliver a massive pipeline of renewable energy construction work as well as addressing housing shortages and delivering a massive transport infrastructure program.)

Other Survey Findings:

In other survey findings, according to Randstad:

• Only one in eight workers (12 percent) have been compensated for inflation whilst two in five (38 percent) have not received any kind of financial support from their employer over the past two years. Women and older workers (Gen X and Boomers) more likely to fall into this category at 48 percent and 52 percent respectively.
• Despite current inflation pressures, many Aussies are reluctant to risk switching roles amid concerns about ‘last in first out’ approaches should redundancies occur. The large majority (67 percent) say they would not consider searching for better pay elsewhere, with those who haven’t been compensated no more likely to leave their roles compared to their counterparts that have.
• Alternatively, one in five Australian workers (19 percent) – around 2.6 million people – are taking on second roles (19 percent) and increasing their hours with their current employer (18 percent) to meet rising cost-of-living pressures. This is particularly high amongst Gen Z at 32 percent and 29 percent respectively, signalling a risk of burnout as this generation manages multiple jobs or increased hours in an attempt to improve their financial security.
• There is some movement in the job market with one in four (28 percent) looking to move roles in the next six months. However, competition is fierce with an 8.6 percent increase in April 2024 in applications per job ad month-on-month advertised by Seek.

Candidate strategies

According to Colbert, strategies which candidates can adopt to derive the best outcomes vary between those who are willing to move and those who would prefer to stay put.

He says the fact that many are choosing to stay put is unsurprising in light of current headlines about redundancies along with aforementioned last-in, first-out concerns.

“For the one in five who are prepared to make a move, it’s important your CV stands out from the crowd,” Colbert said.

“Bear in mind that a lot of businesses are adopting a skills-based hiring approach, focusing less on past experience and more on the skills required to do the job. So, employees must figure out what makes their skill set special and how to best define their personal brand in this context. Interview preparation and research is extremely important to ensure talent can clearly communicate those skills and further demonstrate their suitability to the organisation and culture.

“If a move isn’t on the cards, embracing upskilling opportunities to sharpen adaptability, communication, and problem-solving will set all employees in good stead to embrace new opportunities when the time is right.”

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