Thursday, December 20, 2007

South Africa construction jobs

South Africa tops a global survey of job prospects for the first quarter of 2008 with skilled engineers and construction project managers in very high demand

According to the latest quarterly Manpower Employment Survey employers in all business sectors in South Africa are very positive about employment prospects at the beginning of 2008. First-quarter hiring prospects are highest in mining, electricity, gas and water supply and manufacturing industry sectors.
Construction recruitment prospects are also very strong with the soccer World Cup 2010 just over two years away. Sectors such as construction, finance, insurance, real estate and business services continue to perform strongly from infrastructure development and the build up to the World Cup.

South African mining industry employers responded strongest in terms of hiring intentions, with a Net Employment Outlook of +43 percent, a four percent improvement when compared to Q4 2007. Project management and engineering skills in mining and construction markets are in also high demand with requirements for professional engineers in South Africa far outweighing the availability of quality skilled candidates.

Other countries boasting strong employment opportunities in 2008 include Singapore, Peru, Norway, Hong Kong and Australia. Ireland however is rated as having the lowest prospects in the Manpower survey.

The Manpower Outlook survey is conducted in 27 territories globally on a quarterly basis.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

UAE's new fourth International Airport to create 28,000 new jobs

The development of the new €2.2 billion ($3.2bn) Ajman International Airport, which will begin in 2008, will create 28,000 job opportunities as well as many new development opportunities and construction jobs, according to the airport area's master plan.

The work, being carried out by a Spanish consortium in a Build Operate and Transfer contract, will see the United Arab Emirates' fourth international airport built as part of an international "PlaneStation" concept that will include 30 airports around the world, bringing tourists and business travelers to the booming Middle East. The PlaneStation concept puts the Middle East as a central link in the world's first network of regional airports in a plan to open up new routes, avoid flight delays and at the same time generate new business and jobs.

Being constructed over six million square metres in six stages, Ajman airport will house a passenger terminal comprising arrival and departure lounges, a school for staff training, commercial region, office spaces and housing units.

The master plan for the airport also highlights a link by a new monorail to the seafront town of Al Zoura, which would give rise to a resort area featuring about 30 hotels, water front villas and shopping centres.

Amjin airport will be one of 11 airports to be built in the Middle East in the near future. Other airports either planned or already under construction include two in both Egypt and Iran, and new airports in Morocco, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

€17bn scheme to deliver massive Spanish construction jobs boom

Over 65,000 jobs are reportedly to be created with the development of a new spy-themed leisure complex in Aragon, Spain. With construction of the Gran Scala leisure complex planned to start by the end of 2008, it is expected that there will be a massive construction recruitment drive in Spain and elsewhere over the coming months.
The international development consortium behind the scheme recently unveiled plans for the €17billion Gran Scala complex and they were enthusiastically welcomed by locals and Government.
Despite global market uncertainty and doubts about economic growth, the Gran Scala development will be a huge boost for construction job opportunities in Spain. The Spanish Government has also committed to an infrastructure roll-out programme. The local government in Zaragoza has agreed to invest €250million in transport links, power and telecommunications for the project which will result in a boom for civils jobs in Aragon.
Developers of Gran Scala say the scheme will be built in three stages, cover an area of 2,025 hectares and employ 65,000 people. The first phase will start in late 2008 and will last about two years. This will comprise the construction of three theme parks and a group of casinos. The second phase will consist of the development of a fourth theme park and other casinos and the final stage is scheduled to be completed in 2023. There will also be a golf course, horse racing, conference centres, museums and concert halls.
Most of the investment will be on building 32 themed casinos, 70 hotels and five theme parks.