UK Job Market Focus for June & July

My primary focus as a Senior Consultant for Maxim Recruitment is recruiting Quantity Surveyor and Commercial Manager for the Middle East region. But this summer I will be focusing on the active UK market which seems to be experiencing a national shortage of talent.

Over the period of Ramadan EMEA businesses work shorter days and very few new projects are awarded during this time, meaning also that very new vacancies are created. So this year I will be taking more of an active interest in the buoyant UK construction market as I'm certain this will be a more productive market through the months of June and July at least.

After some strategic marketing calls to some senior professionals within the UK sector, it is evident that there is a national shortage in good Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management candidates at present. This appears to be a national problem, however the strain seems to be felt most in London and the South East of the UK, where it most construction companies have some sort of need for commercial staff at present.

Need for Quantity Surveyors to Relocate Within UK

As well as Quantity Surveyors already within the South East, our clients are interested in speaking with candidates from other areas of the UK that are willing to relocate to the South to work for leading construction companies on large construction projects.

Need for British Expatriate Quantity Surveyors Returning to UK

Where there is also a need, is for good British expatriates currently earning their trade overseas to return to the UK. Whilst the UK cannot quite compete with the tax free earnings of the likes of Dubai and Qatar, salaries have never been as competitive as they are now in the UK.

If you happen to be a resident in the Middle East returning to the UK on annual leave this summer, this could also be the perfect opportunity to arrange interviews with construction companies in the UK and make contacts for a potential return in the near future.

Telephone and Skype interviews are a lot less common in the UK compared to overseas and hiring managers in the UK still prefer to meet the candidate face-to-face before offering them a position. You will drastically improve your chances of being offered an interview if you make yourself available for a face-to-face meeting.

If you are a British national and currently overseas, but are looking to return to the UK in the coming months I would be very keen to have a chat with you about potential opportunities in the UK at present and give you a guide to salaries on offer.

Projects in London & South East

In truth, there is a bit of everything happening in the region at present. As well as the larger well known schemes currently underway such as Crossrail and The Thames Tideway Tunnel or "The Super Sewer", we are noticing a particular spike in residential projects.

In particular, luxury multi-storey residential apartments, student accommodation blocks and social housing projects seem frequently under construction. And there is still an emphasis on spending in the Education sector which includes major refurbishments and new build schools and university projects.

With pressure on the government to invest in more housing and education, it seems unlikely that projects in these sectors will slow down anytime soon. The UK construction market is as active as it has been in several years at present and this is only likely to improve over the coming years.

If you would like to hear more about opportunities in the growing UK construction market, be sure to contact us by submitting an application on our web-site or contacting the UK Head Office on +44 (0) 870 243 0446.

SEARCH THESE JOBS

Quantity Surveyor - UK
Commercial Manager - UK

Stuart Hackett
Maxim Recruitment
Middle East Region