Rebuilding Christchurch business - Peak Recruitment

Peak Recruitment founder Lisa Hulley

While uncertainty surrounds the future of Christchurch as decision makers ponder the look the city, the next steps and how to rebuild, there's one thing Peak Recruitment founder Lisa Hulley knows for sure.

"Over the next few years there is going to be increasing demand for professional engineers in Christchurch.

"That includes the whole gamit of Project Managers, Geotech Engineers, Structural Engineers, Roading and Transport Engineers, Water & Wastewater and Environmental Engineers."

The Christchurch-based recruitment company specialises in placing technically qualified candidates such as engineers and scientists in civil infrastructure roles.

"Even prior to the earthquake there were roles we were struggling to fill nationally, so we anticipate it's not going to get easier," she says.

However Hulley says the company has had an increase in the number of phone calls from expats looking to come home.

"They want to be with their families but they also want to contribute to the rebuild effort. We've also had calls from candidates nationally and offshore because many of them recognise that the Christchurch rebuild will offer engineers huge opportunities for professional growth.

"Christchurch is definitely going to be the capital of infrastructure work although people won't necessarily have move and live here."

Hulley says that much of the work can be done off-site so engineers can be positioned around New Zealand yet still contribute to the rebuild.

She says the challenge will be that while Christchurch draws on resources for massive construction projects, other centers around the country will have to put some of their plans on hold. Resources potentially will be diverted from core infrastructure budgets in other regions to pay for the Christchurch rebuild.

"You might also see job opportunities fall away in parts of the country and increase in Canterbury to match this shift," says Hulley.

And contrary to the law of supply and demand she says it's too early to tell if salaries will go up in response to the increasing demand for engineers.

"Normally you would expect it to, but this may be off-set by the borrowing of project-resources from other centers and the potential re-allocation of civil infrastructure project budgets from other national centers to Christchurch."

Hulley says there will be an increase in infrastructure spend as money starts to flow in through public and private sector insurance but it's too soon to say how many posts will need to be filled.

"I don't think it's going to happen immediately but it will ramp up over the next few years."

Peak Recruitment starts an advertising campaign in the UK this week and hopes to lure project managers and project controllers, both of which are high on the list of desperately needed skill sets. "At the moment lots of resources are being borrowed or pulled from other centres but over time more permanent positions will need to be created."

And that's something she's sure of.