The April 2022 BIM Salary Guide arrives in a global landscape that, yet again, few would have predicted. War has returned to Europe, inflation is rampant and the pandemic is still making its presence felt.

A CHALLENGING LANDSCAPE FOR CONSTRUCTION

Although construction orders were strong going into 2022, the situation is no longer looking so positive. As Construction Enquirer reports, Mace Cost Consultancy is forecasting that average tender prices will rise by 5.5% this year. That’s on top of last year’s record jump of 7.5%.

Commercial Director Matt Fitzgerald predicted that the confluence of further rises in tender prices and rising borrowing costs would likely force developers into cancelling more schemes.

“It may not be until the second half of the year that the level of demand destruction becomes more apparent, but it now seems almost certain that some jobs which were previously feasible are cancelled or put on hold.”

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR BIM TALENT?

Understandably, this will have an impact on recruitment decisions this year, with priority given to project-funded recruitment.

There is still a significant lack of experienced BIM talent in the market; now, as contracts demand more BIM hours, the need is increasing and the gap between supply and demand is widening. The solution is to increase the number of, and opportunities for, BIM Trainees – something DBE.Careers is championing with its BIM Trainee Directory. Unfortunately, companies are lacking the resource to mentor these trainees as their experienced BIM staff do not have the time to spare. Recruitment is being kept tight due to the worry of projects being cancelled, so existing BIM talent is being overstretched – hence the lack of capacity to train juniors. At some point, companies will have to invest in trainees as there will not be enough talent to go around, but with continuing global uncertainty, many are putting this off for as long as possible.

DEMAND IS STRONGEST IN THE CENTRE

Demand is highest for experienced project-centric/project-funded BIM Coordinators, followed by project-centric/project-funded BIM Managers who can hit the ground running. Meanwhile, affordability means that less experienced/advanced beginners are still in demand as a way for companies to get the BIM staff they need while keeping costs down. This means that the highest pressure is on salaries in the mid-range.

There is less pressure to increase salaries at the top end as companies are only looking at recruiting those at the mid-range. There are BIM professionals who are happy to take the kudos of a better job title without the higher salary, but there is a risk that companies will hire the ambitious and affordable, rather than those who genuinely have the required expertise and experience.

CANDIDATE DEMANDS VS COMPANY NEEDS

Companies are also reporting a growth in candidates looking for remote or hybrid working opportunities. This is mainly among younger candidates – a trend that is supported by research conducted by Kantar earlier in the year. It found that 86% of ‘Generation Z’ (ages 18-24) and 85% of Millennials (aged 25 to 39) said that flexible home working policies are one of the main factors they consider when deciding whether to accept a job, compared with 66% of Boomers (aged 56 to 75).

Many companies – particularly office-based design teams – are embracing a mix of remote and office working as a way to attract scarce talent. However, there are clearly some limitations with remote working in construction, so this could potentially lead to tension between the demands of candidates and the needs of employers. As yet, the debate around hybrid working is by no means settled – and in some cases hasn’t even begun.

In the meantime, the best place to recruit BIM talent or to find a new role is the DBE.Careers BIM Job Board