How to dive into a new talent pool and connect with the right candidates to unlock innovative value streams

The digital revolution is here, and there is disruption across many industry sectors as a result. The benefits technology and automation have to offer are fast becoming invaluable for businesses to thrive. Technological innovations need to be embraced for companies to improve efficiencies, increase productivity, and ultimately keep up with our ever-evolving world.

Digital advancements have already impacted the Engineering and Construction landscape with a recent US Deloitte survey indicating that 43% of E&C executives are making greater investments into this space over the coming year.

Familiar challenges around supply chain disruptions, increasing costs of materials and transport and pervasive talent shortages continue to impair the industry’s margin but the adoption of digital innovations can help overcome some of these hurdles. The industry is increasing investments in digital as it prepares to integrate connected construction capabilities to; support initiatives such as smart cities, urban air mobility, and climate change programs, enhance internal operational efficiencies, optimise asset utilisation and efficiency, reduce costs and improve margins. Quite simply, embracing these digital opportunities can make everyone and everything in your business work smarter.

By being proactive and integrating advanced networks such as Digital Supply Networks (DSNs), contractors can have better visibility into the availability and movement of materials. Building Information Management (BIM) enables paper designs to become digital and accessible to everyone at any time. Real-time data analytics can help schedulers make more informed decisions and create alternate sourcing strategies whilst providing forward-looking insights to ensure minimal impact on projects. Drones are automating procedures like building inspections and smart project management can help bring vendors, suppliers, and asset management onto a single platform.

Bianca Yorke-Davies is a Managing Consultant with CSG Talent’s Engineering & Construction Australia division, specialising in recruitment for sales and business development roles. With years of experience in this sector she provides some valuable insight into the impact digital technologies are having in the industry:

“The impact of technologies in the E&C sector is not as evident in the Australian market as Europe. I have however seen some interesting digital developments start to happen. Existing manufacturers in Australia are beginning to automate their processes and due to ongoing supply chain concerns, including increasing costs of materials and transport, many companies are starting to build their own manufacturing plants and are looking into automating them. Automated fleets are becoming a growing segment and more businesses are looking into VR modelling for building designs and digital printing to create prototypes for their clients. When speaking to my overseas colleagues we often discuss the digital advancements they are seeing and it is clear Europe is technically more advanced, with firms already embracing these technologies and using digital printing to build houses.”

“While I understand digital technologies are not a huge area in Australia’s Engineering and Construction industry now, it will be, and the best thing companies can do is start planning and preparing. One of the first things they can do is consider the new skillsets and talent needed to utilise this evolving technology to move their business forward.”

Digitalising key workstreams in the E&C sector can ultimately enhance productivity, efficiency, and worker safety. However, attracting qualified candidates to operate these digital technologies becomes a compounding factor on current labour shortages. There is an increasing need for digitally oriented roles such as data engineers, data scientists, software programmers, coders and developers in the E&C industry but attracting this talent is a challenge as there is strong competition from the more traditional sectors for these candidates such as Technology and Data.

This presents the opportunity for E&C firms to dive into a new talent pool and connect with digitally oriented candidates to unlock innovative value streams in their business. Recruitment strategies can be reinvigorated to present fresh and exciting opportunities to a new talent landscape, and by attracting the right candidates, digital technologies can be implemented to the business.

Many E&C firms have analysed the digital impact on their operations and are starting to hire more digitally oriented talent than traditional engineers. Now more than ever, adapting existing talent strategies and forming new talent management and workforce experience strategies is critical to navigating these workforce challenges.

Gain insight into your desired talent pool:

Taking the time to understand this new talent pool will inform the development of effective talent strategies. Gaining insights into their perceptions, motivations, salary expectations and career aspirations will allow companies to create a more attractive offering for consideration by strong candidates and arm organisations with the right information to make key business decisions.

CSG Talent Insight services provide bespoke research projects that use first-hand data to provide actionable insights to help develop your talent strategy.

Understand your competitors for qualified talent:

With the boom of connected construction technologies in the E&C industry many firms in this space are seeking the same talent, whilst competing with the more traditional industries for the digitally orientated such as Data and Technology sectors. A deeper understanding of competitors allows businesses to stay ahead of the curve and create talent strategies that are unique and industry leading.

CSG Talent Mapping services provide clients with an insight into competitors’ organisational structures which is particularly valuable when exploring a new talent landscape. By understanding how competitors structure their teams, you can understand the availability of talent. You will be better equipped to shape your own company structure, assimilate what works, identify how to adjust your own headcount, and inform feasibility for the future of the business.

Reposition your employer brand to attract the right talent:

With a clear understanding of the new talent landscape and other business competitors, it would benefit companies to revisit their employer brand to assess how their current positioning relates to the digital oriented candidates. Changes will likely need to be made and creating targeted marketing campaigns will help reposition the employer brand and enhance the perception of the organisation as an employer of choice for the digitally oriented.

CSG Talent Attraction services can help you reposition your brand and equip you with the marketing tools that you need to drive your revised employer brand forward with your new talent pool. CSG Talent’s consultants will become brand ambassadors for your business, by creating awareness with materials like candidate engagement packs that will engage and attract talent to your brand before you even meet them.

Engage with potential talent:

Once companies refine their employer brand and offering to the digitally oriented, they should start engaging with this talent pool. By proactively engaging with these qualified candidates, organisations can build rapport, employer brand recognition and preferability with potential talent.

CSG Talent Pipelining services can build a pool of qualified and engaged potential candidates, we build the relationships on your behalf and maintain those relationships. This service can prove incredibly valuable for businesses entering new talent landscapes as it significantly reduces the time needed to find relevant candidates which is often the biggest cost in the recruitment process. Clients who engage this service are provided a ready supply of suitable candidates who are prepared to make the transition to your business when the appropriate positions arise.

It can be challenging stepping into a new talent landscape, but the opportunities presented make it worthwhile. Connecting with qualified candidates is crucial to enable businesses to evolve. CSG Talent can support you through the entire hiring process and equip you with the knowledge and understanding to connect with the right talent so that your organisation can unlock innovative value streams. With our team of highly knowledgeable and specialist consultants with vast global networks, we’re able to achieve unparalleled recruitment success for our clients and candidates worldwide.

We take the time to fully understand your business and your potential candidates to deliver the best recruitment results possible. Get in touch with one of our expert recruitment consultants today to find out more.

This blog has been written by Cheryl Haines, Senior Recruitment Consultant with CSG Talent. Cheryl is an experienced specialist head-hunter within the Engineering and Construction Team. Cheryl’s focus is on supporting the hire of exceptional operational talent into a number of organisations across Australia and New Zealand.

Cheryl supports several key business operations, sourcing candidates for roles, which include but not limited to Human Resources/ Industrial Relations, Work Health Safety, Quality & Environment, IT, Project Management, Accounts / Finance, Legal / Compliance/ Risk and Change Management, Business Support, Procurement and Supply Chain, Marketing and Communications, Operational and Business Management & Leadership.

With over 12+ years recruitment industry experience, in the UK and Australia, Cheryl tapped into multiple disciplines and business sectors to building a solid knowledge of core business operations.

Sources:

Deloitte Analysis, 2022 Engineer and Construction Industry Outlook

Source: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/energy-and-resources/articles/engineering-and-construction-industry-trends.html

The Australian Government’s National Skills Commission identifies the four skills likely to be in demand in the future.

Source: https://www.nationalskillscommission.gov.au/insights/skills-and-jobs-future-four-cs