ANZSCO 2333-11
Electrical Engineer
New South Wales
June 2015
Current labour market rating
Metropolitan recruitment difficulty
Previous labour market rating (June 2014)
Recruitment difficulty
Comments
A minority of Sydney employers had difficulty recruiting electrical engineers with several years of
experience in building services design.
Survey results
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The Department of Employment survey of employers who had recently advertised for electrical
engineers found that 76 per cent of vacancies were filled within the survey period. This compares
with a success rate of 81 per cent in June 2014.
o There was an average of 40 qualified applicants per vacancy and two suitable applicants per
vacancy.
In Sydney 73 per cent of vacancies were filled, whereas in regional NSW all surveyed vacancies were
filled.
Employers were able to fill vacancies for experienced electrical engineers across a wide range of
industry sectors and skill sets including power systems, programmable logic controller platforms,
manufacturing process control, rail overhead wiring projects, underground mining and heavy
industrial, water utilities, building services project management, and general electrical engineering
consulting.
o Positions for engineers with less than three years of experience proved the least difficult to fill.
Employers and recruitment agencies reported an increase in the number of applicants returning
from mining and other resources projects, especially from Western Australia.
o Such applicants were generally considered unsuitable, due to not possessing the transferrable
skills and experience required for the advertised positions.
Compared with earlier surveys, there has been a notable shift in employer preference towards
Australian-based engineers with local qualifications and experience. A number of advertisements
specifically excluded overseas applicants seeking sponsorship for migration purposes. Employers
frequently culled overseas applicants due to the large number of qualified and experienced
Australia-based applicants.
Metropolitan employers seeking electrical engineers with four years or more experience in building
services design experienced difficulty in filling vacancies. Such vacancies generally attracted
electrical engineers (and even mechanical engineers) with experience in other areas and without
sufficient experience in Australian building codes and standards.
o Other employers were able to fill vacancies for electrical engineers with little difficulty.
Labour Economics Office NSW
Department of Employment
Unsuitable applicants
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The main reasons cited by employers for the unsuitability of applicants, in order of frequency, were
that they did not have sufficient experience in the specific industry sector or specialisation of
electrical engineering required by the employer, they did not have the level of experience needed
for the position, or they were not qualified (many being tradespersons).
Demand and supply trends
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Demand for electrical engineers over the past year has been adversely affected by subdued activity
in the electricity, manufacturing, mining and engineering construction industries.
o In the 2012-13 Budget, the NSW Government announced its strategy to reduce the growth in
electricity sector investment to moderate prices rises. These reforms are estimated to
contribute around $1.9 billion in capital savings over the five years to 2015-16.1
o Demand in the manufacturing industry has been constrained by falling orders from miningrelated industries.
o NSW construction activity was virtually unchanged in the year to March 2015 compared to the
previous year. This followed a decline of 2.8 per cent in the year to March 2014. Strong growth
in residential and non-residential building in the year to March 2015 of 12.5 per cent was
offset by a decline of 14.1 per cent in engineering construction.2
o Coal mining output decreased slightly in the year to April 2015. Lower prices for coal and other
key commodities have led to labour-shedding in mining and related industries and production
employment in the NSW coal industry has fallen by almost 10 per cent in the two years to
March 2015.3
It is estimated that about 200 students per annum complete bachelor degree courses in electrical
engineering from NSW universities in NSW. This number has remained fairly stable over the five
years to 2013.4
o As a further contribution to supply, anecdotal evidence suggests an increase in the number of
electrical engineers returning to NSW, particularly from Western Australia, due to the
downturn in the resources sector and related construction activity.
Net overseas immigration of electrical engineers to NSW averaged 122 per annum in the four years
to 2013-14 and remains a significant supply source.5
1
NSW Budget 2015-16, Infrastructure Statement, 1-7
ABS Construction Work Done, Preliminary, March 2015 (8755.0). Annual average of original data, chain volume measure.
3
Coal Services, NSW Raw Coal Production and Production Employment at NSW Coal Mines.
4
Department of Employment estimates based on Department of Education data. Data refers to domestic students
completing bachelor degree courses in electrical engineering or electrical/electronic engineering from NSW universities.
5
Department of Immigration and Border Protection, Overseas arrivals and departures by ANZSCO Unit Group. Data refers to
net permanent and long-term arrivals.
2
Labor Economics Office NSW
Department of Employment