Trades Recruitment Market Commentary – April 2020

As you are all aware, the Coronavirus is severely impacting the economy and as a consequence we have also seen an impact on trades recruitment. The majority of roles we were recruiting for have been put on hold while companies try to sustain the staff they have rather than employ new staff. 

There has been a slow down in the market, long term employees have been stood down and as a result there are a large number of applicants for each position advertised. We are aware of building projects, large and small, that were due to begin mid this year but have been put on hold. 

We’re seeing that employees who are in work at the moment are staying where they are rather than looking for a new position. The areas that appear to be holding up the best at the moment are food manufacturing, pharmaceutical, FMCG and medical/essential service industries.

Mechanical & Electrical Trades

Our mechanical and electrical trades workload has decreased substantially in the past 3 weeks. This stems primarily from lack of confidence from clients to commit to employing extra staff and also troubles in gaining materials and equipment from overseas. The federal government is keen to boost Australia’s local manufacturing capabilities which we hope will result in greater trades employment opportunities.

Field Service, Building & Mechanical Services

The recruitment of Field Service Technicians operating in building & mechanical services has also seen a major drop in activity. Many companies are adapting their processes and practices to enable their employees to operate in the field at client facilities. Recruitment is on hold until they’ve adapted and the economic conditions become clearer.