Increasingly in our contact with the market we are starting to hear the term burnout from both employers and employees in the construction industry. Through our association with Mates in Construction we know how important prioritising mental health is in this industry and have seen a huge effort from many employers placing this as a top priority for their business. However, the current market pressures being created by a massive gap in available resource relative to demand are placing a significant strain on the construction sector workforce. We are increasingly seeing people simply leaving the industry all together or trying to find a position in a business where the balance of workload is sustainably managed.
Traditionally as an industry construction has been highly cyclical, market participants would protect their business’s by securing work when it was available because you couldn’t guarantee with certainty that there wouldn’t be a dip in the pipeline coming up. That work would be won often despite resource being in place to deliver on it. Resourcing would often happen after the fact. This is no longer a viable strategy. The resources to upscale are simply not available in the market and the pressure this is putting on current team members is reaching breaking point with many leaving entirely.
We are seeing this at all levels but particularly at the junior end of org structures where people are being worked so hard and as a result being turned off from the industry completely due to how they are being treated. Not only does this have an impact on current resourcing levels, but also a downstream effect in the years to come where there will be a senior level talent gap as was the case after the GFC.
We can’t stress enough to our clients how important it is to look after your people in this current environment, don’t over commit your resources and check in on your team to ensure they are coping under the pressure. If you are struggling in your role reach out to one of our recruiters, we can help in facilitating these discussions with your current employer or help match you with one who will better support a balanced lifestyle.