UK Quantity Surveyors - Your Time Is Now

Skills Shortage

The skills shortage in the UK construction industry is very real at the moment!

I experience it in the frustration of Commercial Managers and Directors every day, as they are constantly shuffling their pack of staff to try and cover all of their sites.

Quantity Surveying vacancies are staying open for 3-4 months in some cases, because companies are just not able to find adequately qualified staff to man their projects.

One Director in London recently told me that that he spending over 50% of their working week dealing with staffing issues due to the difficulty of finding good QS's. Over 50%!

The truth is that there are not enough Quantity Surveyors in intermediate and senior levels to cope with the volume of projects currently in construction. With companies still reluctant to hire from overseas due to timely Visa processes and costs, and the industry showing no signs of slowing down, this situation does not look set to change anytime soon.

Career Opportunities

The result of this skills shortage is that there are currently an unprecedented number of Quantity Surveying vacancies in the UK at the moment.

If you are a Quantity Surveyor and in a position that isn't quite what you want to do long term, now is the time to consider taking steps to secure that long term career goal.

The market is well and truly in your favour. Make the most of it!

• Perhaps you're not working on the types of projects you particularly want to long term.
• Perhaps you're doing a long commute everyday and would like to spend more time with the family by shortening your commute.
• Perhaps you feel there is no room for career progression in with your current employer.
• Perhaps you feel you're not getting the support you need to learn and progress your development as a Quantity Surveyor

I deliberately haven't mentioned salaries in the above as I do believe if you are moving purely based on money in the current market, and you are any good at what you do, your current employer would likely counter offer any potential offer you may receive.

ALSO READ > Salary Report 2015Q4: Quantity Surveyors in UK

However, if you have motivations to change jobs for reasons other than money (or as well as money) then now is the time to act on them.

The real shortage of staff is at Quantity Surveyor level, up to Senior / Project Quantity Surveyor level. Quantity Surveyors that have a had solid start to their career and know the basic post contract duties of a Quantity Surveyor and can work with the minimum of supervision are what is really in demand, with this need escalating to critical in London.

Talk to An Experienced Recruiter

Maxim Recruitment currently have 100's of Quantity Surveying vacancies that we are actively trying to fill for a range of clients.

We're working with a whole range of contractors from the largest in the business, through to niche players in specialist sectors such as Ground works, Interiors / Fit Out / Refurbishment and M&E. As well as many medium sized businesses that are thriving in the current market and experiencing rapid growth.

So if you're looking to join one of the country's largest main contractors where you'll likely work as part of a large team of QS's or whether you'd rather work for a slightly smaller company where you are likely to get exposure to a more diverse range of duties, we likely have something that could appeal to you.

Our experienced Consultants will be happy to discuss your options and commit our time to finding you your ideal role.

Tell us what we can do to improve your career and challenge us to find your ideal vacancy. We've been doing it for over 13 years and would welcome hearing from you to discuss your career aspirations and how we can help you achieve them.

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Stuart Hackett
Senior Recruitment Consultant – UK & Middle East