AS THE ECONOMY continues to pick up, people are again investing in the property market and the construction sector is showing signs of optimism after a few years in the doldrums. This has led not only to rising prices but has stirred demand for professional construction engineers.
Though signs of recruitment are more obvious in the residential sector, vacancies are also being created in the commercial sector, with the conversion of industrial estates into commercial offices.
This move has been helped by the government's decision to rezone estates previously used for manufacturing for 'Other Use (Business)'.
The building of new hotels and the refurbishment of older properties has also given the sector a boost. Infrastructure and highway projects may not yet be generating new jobs but at least there is a feeling that these areas will also pick up within the next two years, once government investment plans are confirmed.
The industry professionals most likely to be in demand are architects, structural, geotechnical and building services engineers.
'The general trend of layoffs has been reversed, since some firms are hiring again and salaries are increasing,' said Greg Wong, president of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers.
