ANZSCO 3121-14

Construction Estimator

Australia
June 2015

Current labour market rating

Recruitment difficulty for positions in

residential construction requiring five to
10 years experience

Previous labour market rating (June 2014)

Shortage

Comments
There are generally adequate numbers of construction estimators, but employers have difficulty
recruiting workers who have five to 10 years of experience for positons in residential construction.

Employer requirements

Surveyed vacancies were across all construction sectors, with the majority being for the residential
work.
o A small number of vacancies were for specialist positions, such as landscape construction.
o Employers were mainly seeking construction estimators to work on projects such as new
housing, high-end apartments, commercial buildings and fit-outs.
Metropolitan areas were overrepresented in the research, making up 83 per cent of surveyed
vacancies compared with 70 per cent of construction estimator employment.1
Most employers favoured applicants who held relevant qualifications but they did not consider
these to be essential, focussing more on applicants portfolios of work.2
o Only 15 per cent of vacancies required qualifications. These ranged from a trade qualification
(such as carpentry) to a bachelor degree.
Most employers sought applicants with around five to 10 years of estimating experience in their
sector of construction.
o A number of employers commented that there is little transferability of skills between
construction sectors.
Other requirements included
o proficiency in particular software such as Buildsoft or BEAMS
o knowledge of local construction trends and Australian construction standards
o an unrestricted drivers licence
o a national police clearance, and
o strong verbal and written communication skills.

ABS, Census of Population and Housing, 2011

ABS Census shows that 74 per cent of construction estimators hold a post-school qualification, most commonly a certificate
III or IV.
2

Labour Market Research and Analysis Branch

Department of Employment

Survey results

Around 70 per cent of vacancies were filled, up from 47 per cent in 2014, the highest proportion
recorded in the current series.
o There was an average of 27.4 applicants per vacancy, of whom 1.8 were considered to be
suitable.
o While the average number of applicants almost doubled in 2015 (up from 14.2 in 2014), the
number of suitable applicants did not change markedly (Figure 1).
o Around 10 per cent of employers did not attract any response to their advertised vacancies
and a further 19 per cent did not receive applications from construction estimators who met
their skill and experience needs.

Figure 1: Proportion of vacancies filled (%), average number of applicants and suitable applicants per
vacancy (no.), Construction Estimator, Australia, 2009 to 2015

Source: Department of Employment, Survey of Employers who have Recently Advertised

There was strong competition for junior vacancies with an average of 33.9 applicants per vacancy.
Consequently, nearly all of these vacancies were filled.
Conversely, while employers seeking construction estimators for intermediate level roles (generally
requiring around five years of experience) attracted relatively large fields of candidates (26.3 per
vacancy on average), very few were considered to be suitable and slightly less than half of these
vacancies were filled.
In terms of sector differences, those employers seeking construction estimators for residential work
filled half of their vacancies, while those in the commercial sector filled two-thirds.
o Those vacancies which required applicants to possess specialist or multi-sector experience,
were generally readily filled.
Unfilled vacancies were mainly for construction estimators for intermediate level roles (requiring
around five years of experience) in the residential construction sector.
Almost 15 per cent of surveyed employers withdrew their vacancies or vacancies were put on hold
due to a lack of funding.

Labour Market Research and Analysis Branch

Department of Employment

Unsuitable applicants

Nearly 95 per cent of applicants were considered to be unsuitable.

The small number of employers who sought qualified applicants considered unqualified applicants
to be unsuitable, but the most common reasons were
o a lack of adequate estimating experience
o inadequate years of experience
o a failure to possess the required sector-specific experience.
Other reasons included
o poor employment history
o limited soft skills, including commitment and communication skills.
A number of employers received applications from people who had no real claims on the job in
terms of their skills and experience.

Demand and supply trends

Construction estimator is a small occupation, with 4110 employed at the 2011 Census.3 More recent
data for construction estimators are not readily available, and the occupation comprises just 8.3 per
cent of the broader group of architectural, building and surveying technicians (for which data are
available). Its small representation suggests that the figures for this group are unlikely to reflect
conditions for construction estimators.
Demand for construction estimators is driven, in large part, by activity in the Construction sector,
which accounts for 76.1 per cent of employment.4
Construction indicators are mixed, making assessment of future demand for construction estimators
difficult. Activity is improving in the residential building sector, but conditions for the nonresidential and engineering construction sectors are subdued.
o Residential building activity rose by 11.4 per cent over the year to the March quarter 2015,
with dwelling commencements increasing by 13.0 per cent. 5
o The number of housing finance commitments increased by 2.4 per cent over the year to
May 20156, while building approvals increased by 14.4 per cent over the year to June 20157.
o Non-residential work done, though, fell by 0.4 per cent over the year to the March quarter
2015,8 and engineering construction was down by 18.6 per cent9.
o The Performance of Construction Index shows that construction has been in contraction for six
of the past seven months. In May 2015, activity declined in all four construction sub-sectors
(housing, apartment building, commercial and engineering construction).10

ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2011

ibid
5
ABS, Building Activity, Australia, March 2015, trend
6
ABS, Housing Finance, Australia, May 2015, trend
7
ABS, Building Approvals, Australia, Jun 2015
8
ABS, Building Activity, Australia, March 2015, chain volume measures, trend
9
ABS, Engineering Construction Activity, Australia, March 2015, chain volume measures, trend
10
Australian Industry Group, Performance of Construction Index, May 2015
4

Labour Market Research and Analysis Branch

Department of Employment

11

New supply to this occupation is also difficult to assess, due to the multiple pathways to
employment as a construction estimator. This is evident in employers requirements (they sought a
range of qualifications from a trade certificate to a bachelor degree) and the diverse educational
attainment profile for this occupation.
o In 2011, almost one third of construction estimators held a certificate III or IV qualification, 23
per cent had a bachelor degree and 17 per cent had an advanced diploma and diploma.
Around one quarter did not hold post-school qualifications.11

ABS, Census 2011

Labour Market Research and Analysis Branch

Department of Employment