Due to the economic slump, recruitment volumes have been down significantly, as project uncertainty has increased and funding has slowed. However, companies have still been hiring, albeit with a more strategic focus and some higher-risk parameters, explains Rob Sellars, Director of Myne Talent.
Good talent has not necessarily been easier to secure than in better economic times, even though we are probably in what can be described as an ‘employer’s market’.
There are a few factors behind the recruiting challenge: some of our best professionals are leaving for jobs overseas, prospective candidates are quite risk-averse in an uncertain job market, and people are waiting to see who wins which jobs.
As we see the green shoots of an upturn and projects start to flow through to contractors, managers are thinking ahead about staffing requirements to resource the upcoming work and bringing solid talent with credentials onto the books to utilise in tendering and winning projects.
We are also already seeing another possible talent shortage 12-24 months away, with several significant projects due to begin construction in the next few years and increasing demand for staff, coupled with growth in other areas of the infrastructure sector. On the supply side, thousands of experienced workers have relocated offshore and put pressure on the available local resources.
Therefore, now is a good time to start your recruitment processes and ensure that your company is well-positioned to hire the staff resources it needs at the right time. Great outcomes will result from the good work done upfront. Here are some tips on how to be even better at recruiting this year.
Be recruiting all the time
This doesn’t mean always having generalised jobs advertised or calling for expressions of interest. It means getting out and networking locally and internationally, engaging with a wide community of potential candidates, and getting deeper than surface level.
Make it a goal to meet regularly with at least one new person who could be a good hire in the future and learn more about their personal situation, timelines, interests, and career goals. Good recruiters learn, record, and remember these things to match candidates with relevant jobs when the time is right.
Great candidates often don’t apply to job adverts. They don’t need to; they might be well looked after, doing engaging work, and busy. They often need to be ‘seduced,’ and this takes patience, motivation, and solid communication skills. Plant the seed and water it.
Networking at events with new people can be awkward and challenging. Still, the idea is to make a few fresh contacts and then keep the communication going via other events, such as LinkedIn and other channels.
Use these contacts to build yourself a talent pipeline and nurture it, even if you aren’t doing any hiring at that time. Then, when the need arises, hopefully you already know some people to call for the role you need filling.
Put yourself out there
Utilise both your personal and company brands to be visible in the market. In 2025, this is one of the best ROIs you can make for recruitment, due to the accessibility of online social platforms that can showcase what you are working on and give people an insight into what it would be like to work with you.
Highlight your strengths and own your weaknesses. Transparency and relatability are key in modern recruiting. Potential recruits want to see that the type of work is relevant to their goals and that the culture is something they want to be part of. Ensure that your team always represents the brand in the best possible way but allow them the freedom to express their individual insights and thoughts, too.
Keep some good recruitment agencies close. Recruiters canvass the industry every day, and some speak to the exact people you might like to hire in the future. While you may not use agencies to recruit many of your positions, having them on your side is a good idea, as they are excellent marketing tools. By having an experienced recruitment consulting partner who knows you well, you will have an advocate for your firm positively influencing relevant people and selling your firm’s benefits.
Keep up the momentum
When you are looking to hire, don’t muck around. A day feels like a week to a candidate waiting for a job offer. Keep your process as quick as possible without sacrificing quality, and most importantly, keep your candidates constantly informed on status. Effective communication and managing expectations are the art of recruitment.
Part of this is ensuring you have your ducks in a row before starting the process. Contracts should be ready to go, the approval process locked down, and calendars organised. Like anything in life, prior planning prevents poor outcomes.
Candidate/Customer experience (CX) is front of mind in 2025, and while for some people this means mobile apps and chatbots, it also means simply putting yourself in the candidate’s shoes and thinking, “Is this process enhancing or detracting from the experience of applying for this job?”
Be flexible
Use some pragmatism when it comes to recruiting certain roles, and be open to considering skills transferability, attitude and motivation over experience, and sometimes giving someone from left field a crack even if they are new to something. So often, when bright young stars get an opportunity, they shine. Don’t be afraid to give them a shot.
Make the most of opportunities for unique solutions to your staffing challenges, such as contract and temporary staff positions. These are often used in project start-up and ramp-down situations to cover fixed-term needs, but in 2025, they’re also an opportunity to give people untested in an environment the opportunity to step up while covering immediate needs. A low-risk option, this gives employers the chance to assess skills and job fit, with many temporary contracts becoming permanent after a period.
Lastly, while AI grows exponentially in power, the demand for skilled human resources is still huge in 2025 and will be for the foreseeable future in many areas of industry.
Technology is automating and augmenting recruitment processes to make them faster and easier to manage. Still, ultimately, when recruiting people, the personal touch will usually beat a computer.
With baby boomers retiring faster than they can be replaced, challenges remain in sourcing the right staff for all businesses, and our civil construction industry is far from immune. Talent shortages will be here again shortly, so keep networking, build that community, engage with people, and give yourself the most incredible opportunity to uncover the best candidates you can.
You can contact Rob at: 021 748261, 09 888 3796, or
rob@mynetalent.com.
Parting words from Jeremy Sole- a final column