There is no doubt that coronavirus has had a radical effect on engineering employers and the job market, with many organisations needing to quickly make changes to adapt to the these testing new circumstances. To better understand the impact of COVID-19 on engineering employers and jobs, Bayside Personnel, part of Balpara’s parent company Bayside Group, conducted two surveys, one targeting employers and the other employees.
Given the constantly changing nature of the pandemic, it’s important to provide context for this Market Impact Survey. Results were collected over a four-week period during September and October 2020. Victoria was still experiencing more than 50 coronavirus cases per day when the survey started, however cases were trending downwards. While the rest of Australia maintained low numbers throughout the time the survey was conducted, there was concern about a potential outbreak in Sydney.
Balpara has collated some insights from this Market Impact Survey that we thought would be of most interest to our audience. This data outlines employees’ responses to changes made by organisations, how employers were affected by project cancellations and delays, and their outlook for the future.
What changes were made that employees would like to see continued?
When it came to changes engineering employers made as a direct response to the pandemic, there were a few that across the board garnered a lot of support from employees. The survey found that flexibility in work locations, or simply working from home has been an overwhelmingly popular change, and during the time of the survey almost two thirds of respondents were working from home. Only one quarter were working on-site, with the remaining a combination of the two.
Other initiatives employers implemented that sat well with their workforce, in order of popularity included:
- Improved cleaning/personal sanitation
- Improved technology, especially that relating to technology
- Better communication from management
- Improved social support
- Isolation and social distancing
- Reduced hours or enforced time off
- Daily health checking
- Better adherence to procedures/regulations
- Better risks assessment process
Job security and business confidence
One third of employers said there weren’t any factors causing delays or cancellations of projects, which is a great outcome given the situation. Those who responded as being impacted by delays or cancellations said it was due to either a decrease in government funding, delay in approvals or less staffing levels to complete the projects.
Changes that employees felt impacted job security and business confidence included:
- Major project delays, cancellations or on hold (24%)
- General economic uncertainty (14%)
- Reduced site access, travel or boarder access (13%)
- Difficulty sourcing materials (9%)
Changes to staffing levels moving forward
The staffing outlook for engineering companies was fairly positive, with 20% looking to increase levels in the coming months, and half saying they will retain their existing staff. Those expecting additional cuts made up only 11% of responses. Half of those who did expect further cuts work in mining , oil and gas. Furthermore few employers said they would look to engage former employees, suggesting that it was poor performers who were targeted in the cuts.
Outlook for the future
76% of employers said they expected no change or had a positive outlook for the future, despite almost all of this group experiencing some reductions in staff. Though the majority of these cuts were in administration or with casual, rather than operational cuts. Half of those who had a negative outlook were based in NSW, and almost 80% of people who responded this way had seen staff decreases for their organisation.
What was learnt
We will be working in an uncertain environment for some time, so making hard and fast predictions isn’t completely viable. However, we can deduce that employers surveyed have been successful in communicating with their employees and effectively given them some level of security and hope for the future where they can. The majority of employees who were happy with employers’ response to the pandemic cited communication as the reason, whether that be through systems, management, teams or collaboration.
Here are some key recommendations from the Bayside Personnel recruitment brand moving forward:
- Approaches to any further redundancies should be carefully considered, with additional support provided – this is not a normal job market people are entering
- Be consultative in developing return to work strategies and do not rush the process
- Consider on-site safety and work measures already in place and consult with employees about how these could be improved
- Understand what changes employees are happy with and discuss how these could be continued and further evolved
- Maintain improved cleaning standards – offer more personal hygiene supplies
- Consider how you may continue high-level communication as work restrictions ease, as this was considered important by employees
If you are looking to partner with an organisation that offers comprehensive engineering and construction services, contact Balpara today. To read Bayside Personnel’s full Market Impact Survey, click here .
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