Summary

The report on Engineers in the New Zealand Labour Market presents a collection and analysis of labour market information and other data sources on a range of engineering occupations. This analysis is based on a collaborative study between the Department of Labour, the Institution for Professional Engineers of New Zealand (IPENZ) and the Association of Consulting Engineers New Zealand (ACENZ). Much of the content comes from official sources but the findings also draw on non-official sources and engineering sector knowledge.

This report presents indicators on the supply of and demand for engineers.  Supply is defined as the existing stock of engineers, new engineers in the form of graduates from the education system and from skilled immigration, with losses through retirement and emigration of engineers. Demand is defined as the expected growth in the engineering profession and the number of vacated positions to be filled due to retirement or engineers exiting the profession for various reasons.

The information provided in the report will help IPENZ and the engineering sector in their strategic and workforce planning and lead to the development of actions and solutions to address workforce issues.

Key findings from the report show that:

• Very strong employment growth (4.8% per annum) for architects, engineers and related professionals over the last five years (2003 – 2008) suggests that these occupations, which currently employ around 31,600 workers, are still under considerable demand pressure despite current economic conditions.
• Employment forecasts from the Department of Labour indicate that demand growth will continue for engineering professionals over the medium term, with an additional 1,300 engineering professionals per year expected to be required over the next five years.
• In addition to the increased demand caused by industry growth, an estimated 500 engineers per annum will be required to replace people who are moving out of these occupations because of retirement and other reasons.
• These growth forecasts are supported by information obtained from various industry sources indicating high ongoing expenditure growth across infrastructure-related industries such as road, rail, gas, electricity and telecommunications.
• Information on tertiary graduates shows that around 1,200 to 1,500 people graduate with professional engineering qualifications each year. However, not all those who complete qualifications in engineering go on to work in the profession. Likewise, anecdotal information suggests that up to one third of graduates may leave New Zealand within one to three years of graduating. This suggests that the actual supply of engineers entering the New Zealand labour market may be considerably lower than the sum of graduates.

Summary report

Engineers in the New Zealand Labour Market - Summary HTML | PDF 8 pages. 838kB

Full report

Engineers in the New Zealand Labour Market HTML | PDF 61 pages. 1.3MB