The architectural jobs market feels very much like the weather at the moment. Just as it appears sunny times are ahead, we hear of another firm going into liquidation and things feel more gloomy. However, trends are emerging, and the Easter Bunny has delivered a few golden eggs. The firms that tend to be busy are often the ones with international clients ranging from ultra-luxury private residential to giga projects in the Middle East. Current opportunities with these types of firms include:
The studios that have been struggling, however, tend to be working in the BTR sector or on mid-level UK housing schemes for developers where interest rates have often dramatically changed the financial viability of projects. Sadly, these are not the only firms though and many award-winning studios have also been caught out by insufficient cash flow to see them through when projects have stalled.
Although the latest RIBA Future Trends Survey is still negative at -3, this is an improvement from -9 at the end of last year. There will surely be further news of practices closing but as the year goes on, it appears the tide has changed and more studios will be looking to rebuild again. The unusual situation we are currently hearing about from many clients is that when advertising new opportunities, despite redundancies elsewhere, the CVs they receive rarely match up to the skills they are seeking. If you are applying to lots of roles and not getting positive responses, don't keep sending the same CV and Portfolio and expect to get a different reaction. Although your experience might have been in other sectors, there are ways to present yourself differently and highlight the skills that are more relevant to a new role. If you would like to discuss further, do give us a call on +44 (0)20 8004 0369 or email info@9bcareers.com.
The other notable issue within the architecture industry, which is being talked about even more than usual, is the problem of low fees and salaries. (see reports by Matthew Lloyd and Aylin Round). Although our 2023 salary survey showed fairly meagre rises compared to inflation, as skill shortages increase (in certain sectors), it does appear architectural salaries are starting to rise again. There is still a long way to go to catch up on the shortfall from decades of stagnant wage growth. The one comment, however, that is often made to combat low pay is to become a specialist and turn the tables on salary negotiations. A few roles which fit into this bracket are: