subject: Where have all of the Civil Engineers Gone? [print this page] Where have all of the Civil Engineers Gone?
Good question! It makes one wonder with all of the engineering companies downsized or completely out of business. Even the number of support staff, designers, and CAD operators have drastically reduce as the number of engineers have fallen. And what will happen when the demand for engineering services returns. Will those laid off over the past several years come back?
For over 30 years I have worked in engineering profession in the Las Vegas area. Nearly everyone I have known over those years has left the valley, accepted employment in a different profession, or is unemployed. After several years of drawing unemployment benefits many may not see any benefit extensions and are not quite sure what they will do next.
The majority of the Las Vegas civil engineering firms have had a significant staff cut since the start of the recession. Most of those companies have seen their staff levels drop by as much or more than half. The larger firms in the Las Vegas area today may have staff levels at 10% of their peak numbers.
Its a possibility that when the construction industry starts to heat up again the engineering community may not have the ability to meet the demand. Who can say whether most engineering firms can gather the necessary staffing levels to meet that expected demand? The answer depends on whether the engineers and supporting staff will want to return to the profession.
No one really has a crystal ball as to when will everything return to pre-2008 norms, but there are several market indicators that suggest that perhaps in one to two years the recovery maybe well on its way. Before then civil engineering companies can put a plan in-place now to position themselves in a leading role for the eventually market recovery?
1. {Stay In Touch with Previous Employees Take the time to stay in touch with your laid-off employees. Let them know that they are still apart of the company and that the company will need them again. If you can, let those who have moved away know relocation assistance will be available to them.
2. Build New Possible Employee Relationships Seek out potential candidates for future employment now. Right now in your local area there are probably a number of unemployed engineers and technical individuals that are more than willing to go work right now. Although you don't have any job positions right now, they would be excited to hear that you are still interested in them, and that you will be interviewing them as soon as you can.
3. Obtaining New Resources Right now may be a good time to find great prices on equipment from desperate engineering companies. Depending on your available cash, you just might be able to pick some of these items. Currently, the value of many civil engineering firms is not through their long terms contracts, but mostly their office equipment, computers, and vehicles. If have you the space what better time would it be to obtaining these items for the future growth of your firm.
4. Gaining Expertise in New Markets Take advantage of the slow business now to educate yourself and the staff on new technologies and services that will be or are in demand. Some markets will take longer to recover than others. Depending on which markets recover first, you may need to gain additional expertise by either training or hiring. Perhaps the leading market to recover from the recession is green technologies. In order to compete in this market you might need LEED qualified professionals on staff. Many government contracts are requiring the completed projects to meet or qualify for LEED certification. A LEED certified consultant may have the edge needed to win these contracts.
