Who else woke up on the 1st of Jan, blinked twice and landed in December?
From living and working under Covid restrictions at the start of the year to then finding our new normal in an (almost) covid free landscape, it’s certainly made the last 52 weeks at Grada feel like a hectic, exciting, and action-packed blur.
And now, with just a few days left in the office, we thought we’d sit down with our directors and discuss the events and trends of 2022 and what we can expect for the New Year.
Grada moved its offices to the iconic City Works Depot this year, what prompted the move?
After spending 3 years in our old office, we found we were running out of space. We needed to accommodate our current team as well as plans for growth in future… The space for a few dart boards and a table tennis table was also taken into account.
The team has certainly grown this year, is this something you’re looking to continue?
We have some ambitious plans for the future and are looking to grow our current teams across the country but it’s not about growth for growth’s sake. We’re all about having the right people in the team and sometimes that takes time.
Grada is so highly specialised in their sectors, how do you find it having as many as 5 recruiters hiring for the same industry?
With our teams covering the length of New Zealand and in different areas within each of our sectors there is more than enough work to keep our teams busy. Having larger teams also allows us to cast a wider net when looking for candidates to give us the best chance of finding the best talent. It helps that our teams are extremely collaborative so there’s a much higher chance of matching clients to candidates.
The job market’s a hot topic right now and it’s widely agreed that NZ’s short on candidates, how has that affected Grada?
With the industries that Grada specialise in we have always been relatively short of candidates, the difference now is that due to the influx of projects across the country we now need even more skilled people. We have seen a rise in retained roles which allows us to focus all our efforts on finding the right candidates for the role, that’s where having our large teams come in handy, the more candidates we can reach the easier it is to find the one who’ll fit.
Do you sense the pendulum shifting to a candidate-heavy market?
Not any time soon, there will always be a need for good people in the construction industry. With a combination of people travelling overseas, retiring, and more construction projects coming online I can’t see a shift to a candidate-heavy market anytime in the near future.
Any goals or predictions for 2023?
2023 will be an interesting year but the NZ economy is robust, especially in the built environment. We’re looking forward to the challenge and whatever comes but not before a bit of time off over the Christmas period!
Happy Holidays from the team at Grada.
