Construction Jobs of the Future

'Construction' is an industry that has garnered tremendous growth over the last few years. Even in the periods where some of the other industries have faced pressure, there are no signs to suggest any slow down for this industry. The high rate of growth in the industry, in turn requires commensurate manpower to manage and drive this industry growth. This industry is creating more number of jobs than ever before. If you are in any way associated with this field, you are in luck!

Before we talk further about the kind of employment opportunities that construction industry can offer, let’s have a quick look at the sectors that it comprises.

The industry is broadly segregated in three main sectors:

1. Building Construction
2. Infrastructure Construction
3. Industrial Construction

While the basics of the above three remain the same, work requirements, skill specialisations and employment opportunities differ across these sectors.

As the name suggests, Building Construction involves construction of residential or non-residential buildings. Residential construction includes building of houses/buildings from scratch, or carrying out small renovations such as addition of rooms in a house. The non-residential sector includes construction of commercial buildings such as offices, malls and marketplaces and institutional buildings like schools, colleges and other educational or vocational buildings.

The infrastructure construction sector covers the construction of highways, bridges, dams etc. Since the backbone of this sector is engineering, it is also referred to as heavy engineering sector. The infrastructure projects have a larger impact as they become a key impetus to the growth of an economy.

The third sector is the industrial sector. This includes construction of manufacturing plants, mills, chemical and power plants, refineries etc.

The dynamics of construction change according to the project, and the need for specialisation required for these projects. In the recent times, the requirement for construction workers has been on a rise. The construction industry can offer a wide array of job opportunities. From masons to carpenters, from civil engineers to construction managers, there are quite a few options available depending on your speciality of expertise.

With the increase in awareness about the construction process and the competition in the industry, construction agencies have become all the more important as they save the clients of most of the operational hassle involved in a construction project.

The changing market dynamics have also led to development of new construction methods and technologies. These aim at increasing the efficiency and performance and reduce environmental-damaging waste. These new methods have led to creation of new processes, which in turn has created many new construction jobs.

One such function that has come to the fore as a key one is that of a design team. The design team translates ideas, suggestions, requirements and design into reality. It can consists of architects, mechanical engineers, civil engineers, electrical and structural engineers, planning consultants, architectural consultants etc. Usually the property owners recruit their own design team. However, the incidence of agencies getting their own design teams to work on projects can also be seen quite often.

A construction project also requires people holding important roles such as construction managers, interior designers, accountants, mortgage bankers and cost engineers. Some of these functions are more salient in case of Infrastructure and Industrial construction projects.

There are many important semi-skilled or specialised construction jobs that you can look at. ProjectLink brings to you some of these options and their importance:

1. Construction Project Managers (CPM)

The task of construction project managers is to oversee all the processes involved in building projects. The project involves five stages:

• Design Stage
• Pre-construction Stage
• Procurement Stage
• Construction Stage
• Handover and Owner Occupancy

The job of a CPM involves supervising and inspecting the work through all the aforesaid stages, and implementing the necessary improvisations. Given the project-wide importance of this role, a project manager needs to possess substantial knowledge of various processes involved in construction. Time and money management skills are also paramount, as the delivery of quality work in the given time is the responsibility of the construction project manager.

2. Landscape Architects

Based on current industrial trends, landscape architecture is an upcoming branch of the construction industry. Landscape architects design outdoor spaces based on the requirements of the client or the project in order to achieve a suitable social, environmental or aesthetic results. These personnel specialise in areas such as landscape design, recreational areas planning, site planning, environmental reconditioning, stormwater management and visual resource management.

With newer environmental friendly methods of construction and architecture coming up, the role of a landscape architect becomes all the more salient. Newer additions to the construction projects, such as terrace gardens, rain gardens, groundwater recharges etc. are gaining popularity. Further, sustainable form of architecture has become the need of the hour, and there are many companies and agencies that have started providing such services to their clients. Given the specialised nature of this role, the importance of proper knowledge and know-how related to the role cannot be overemphasised.

3. Quantity Surveyor

In any construction project, it is important to deliver the promised quality while keeping the cost of construction in mind. This is where the role of a trained Quantity Supervisor come into play. A quantity surveyor, also known as QS, looks into matters concerning cost planning, risk management, tender analysis, asset capitalisation, estimation of additional costs in design variation etc.

Construction companies that offer the services of a quantity surveyor cover areas like project cost estimation, contract negotiations, budget monitoring, resolution of disputes, estimations for insurance purposes and project management. Having a qualified QS on the project, gives a strong financial estimation backup to the project and helps in cost and quality control.

4. Civil Estimators

A civil estimator manages the job of bidding for tender-based civil projects. Given the financial implications of the role, a good civil estimator ought to have high level of concentration and capability to work in high pressure environment. These roles usually do get very well paid for. Civil estimators have a background in either construction supervision, civil engineering or construction project administration.

People taking up this role are trained for a certain period of time under senior estimators. The time-scale determination largely lies in the hands of the employer or the senior civil estimator. During such trainings, these individuals are also trained to work on civil estimating softwares, a new addition to the process.

The jobs roles mentioned above are really just the tip of the iceberg. There is an array of jobs and opportunities worth considering depending on your field of specialisation.

ProjectLink has listed number of companies that offer many such jobs and services.
Take a look at it »

Source: https://www.projectlink.com.au/blog/future-construction-jobs-in-australia/