After the initial shock of the referendum result, I have spent the last week speaking to as many clients as possible to gauge their reaction to the situation we now find ourselves in. Having worked in architectural recruitment for over 15 years and witnessed the unbelievably tough times during the last recession, I arrived at my desk on Friday morning with a fair amount of trepidation. The stock market had just plunged by over 8% and property firms and banks were hit particularly hard.
However, the conversations thereafter, I'm delighted to say, were far more positive. Although it was not the result most Architects appeared to want, the reaction was very much that they had been through worse, the underlying business was still very strong and due to skills shortages, the vast majority were still looking to fill roles. As of today, the stock market has risen strongly and there certainly hasn't been the mass redundancies that occurred in 2008. (You may like to keep an eye on our Employment Data page)
The following months are undeniably going to be tougher than expected but the architectural community appears to be very much up for the challenge of adapting and potentially looking at the new opportunities that might now arise. Residential's ultra-luxury end of the market was declining well before Brexit but the mid range, large scale residential still appears to be very busy and demanding a number of project architects to fill existing roles. If you have 5 years experience on similar projects and use Revit, 9B will have some interesting ideas for you.
I imagine however, with the volatility in the financial markets, practices are now more likely to employ new staff on a contract basis until the full ramifications of Brexit are known. The main concerns about freedom of movement within the EU will obviously have a great impact on practices who have struggled with skill shortages in the industry. With Article 50 still to be implemented though, Brexit could be a very long process (if it happens at all). The biggest consequence in the near term is therefore the financial investors reduced confidence while political and economic uncertainties remain. With dramatic news on a daily basis, hopefully leaders will emerge who can galvanise a very divided country.
If you are looking for more architectural staff, or considering a move to a new practice and would like to discuss further the impact of above, do give me a call on +44 (0)20 8004 0369.
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