“Planning” for The Great Resignation

“Planning” for The Great Resignation

Those “in-the-know” are throwing big figures that would have an astronomical impact on New Zealand’s job market. 25%, 30%, up to 50% of people are looking to walk away from their job in the next 12-24 months. The numbers vary widely (and that might be because no one actually has a clue), but it’s worth asking an important question: How does this Great Resignation measure up in the Planning and Surveying industry?

First, the state of the market. Any recruiter or talent acquisition team should already be aware of the elephant in the room: there’s a labour shortage. Planners are there, albeit few and far between, but the active labour market for surveyors is near barren (my condolences to all clients looking for a licensed cadastral surveyor right now). The demand for experts in the Resource Management Act and GIS is there, the workloads insane, and not much in the way of new talent to help ease the pressure. If the great resignation really is on the horizon for this space, consultancies and councils will have to realize the value of their teams and adjust accordingly, else risk losing them to the firm just down the street.

What would be a factor driving a resignation in this market? Perhaps the shortage itself. I’ve spoken with candidates already at that Senior level only a few years into their career, through a range of fast-moving internal promotions to keep them on board. Candidates with the same experience who aren’t seeing that career growth, are going to look for a place where they can get it. Consultancies and councils who have picked up on this trend will, naturally, want to keep their employees decidedly off-market.

Enter the counteroffer.

Recruiters will know about this one. You’ve got a candidate all the way there, an offer is out for them, and then… the deal fails. And why? Well, your candidate was offered a 10k raise, and a nice company car for site visits, so they’ll stay put for the time being. This leaves us thinking questions like “why weren’t they making that in the first place?” and “Have I just been played?”

To clients: These counteroffers are nasty, and increasingly an inevitable hurdle. Countering these counters is tricky, so it’s important for recruiters to sell not only the figures, but your business itself. With a strong relationship between recruiter and client, the recruiter can promote the company on its culture, its people, and its ability to mentor and grow the careers of potential new hires. The reach of your company’s reputation will spread, and talent on the market will turn their eyes to you first, making a difference in talent acquisition, great resignation or no.

The situation is a tricky one to manoeuvre, and the resolution of it is still quite some time away: the opening of the borders. Overseas candidates looking to work New Zealand have approached me to talk about the options forward. Unless they’re a superstar candidate, or a returning resident, I’ve realistically only been able to tell them one thing: “Let’s talk when the borders are open.” It’s not fair to make false promises of scoring them a role when we have no certainty that they’ll even score a visa.

However, when the borders do (eventually) open, and it’s not a bureaucratic mess to get new talent into New Zealand, the way forward is clear. Firms are going to have to look at hiring talent who are experienced, but not in NZ. Perhaps a “Great Induction” is on the way, as this new talent from South Africa, the US, the UK, and Canada is trained up on NZ’s laws and bylaws in-house, navigating all the red tape and easing off the pressure planners and surveyors are faced with this year. This is where recruiters serve a purpose, as we’re a good first point-of-contact for new talent and can discuss options with these candidates and our clients, getting the best fresh faces into your team.

I believe that while the tide of resignations may come splashing onto New Zealand shores, for companies with a strong culture and foster that sense of collegial camaraderie, companies who see and acknowledge the value of their workers, they’ll find themselves in a very comfortable position, finding talent from companies that don’t see that value. Having a recruiter on-side, promoting your company to that fresh talent on the fence between you and someone else, will only bring even better results.

Published by Zach Martin