Solving the shortage of civil engineers

Major infrastructure projects across Australia, including those for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, face a critical shortage of civil engineers but QUT researchers say early-career civil engineers would be more likely to stay in the field if given roles with autonomy, responsibility, and workplace flexibility.

Sonia Reis, lead researcher on a new paper – Predicting Career Optimism of Civil Engineers published in the Journal of Management in Engineering, says a lack of civil engineers, along with a shortage in other construction professionals, is having a negative impact on the Australian economy, increasing infrastructure costs and delaying major projects.

“It’s a worldwide problem and Australia, until recently, was able to rely upon migrant engineers to fill labour market shortages but recent global challenges – namely the COVID 19 Pandemic – have increased the difficulty in attracting this cohort,” said Ms Reis, a registered practicing engineer and PhD candidate at QUT.

“With Australia’s economic growth and the safety of our infrastructure at stake, this study has investigated and modelled the factors impacting the career optimism of civil engineers, concluding with insights and leadership strategies to improve their satisfaction, tenure, and productivity.

“An effective leader can adjust their leadership style empowering individuals of all cognitive and physical abilities, genders, backgrounds, and experience levels.”

Co-authored by Associate Professor Jonathan Bunker and Professor Les Dawes, the paper has a particular focus on the career optimism of early-career civil engineers.

Career optimism is a personal attribute that allows an individual to view positive experiences as widespread, negative experiences as transient, understand the positive impact of their career development, and set realistic goals.

The QUT study found women in the profession felt a strong organisational belonging and loyalty but also acknowledged the high impact of parenting commitments on their career. Women who remain in engineering may have higher levels of workplace support, access to influential relationships in the workplace, good relationships with co-workers and their manager, and a feeling of inclusion.

The researchers also noted that the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency identified that mature-aged male workers were subjected to higher levels of workplace discrimination, bullying and harassment than younger or female colleagues.

“An individual’s early career experiences have major influences on their long-term career decisions, impacting their well-being, career development, and continuance in their professional role, with different elements impacting the various career stages,” Associate Professor Bunker said.

“Our research found a significant predictor of increased career optimism for all civil engineers, particularly female and non-binary engineers, are the professional engineering skills related to collaboration, teamwork, and communication.”

The national survey conducted by the research team was completed by 338 practising civil engineers with a range of professional experience from one to 60 years. It revealed the factors impacting the career of a civil engineer vary by gender and experience.

“Overall, our research highlights how the career of a civil engineer is influenced by five critical influential factors – their abilities and skills, influences, and occupational values, support provided by their working environment, and the adjustment between themselves and their workplace,” said Ms Reis.

“We also identified an early-career civil engineer’s occupational need for responsibility that had not previously been revealed, and recommend they be provided with autonomy and responsibility in their professional roles.

“Early-career civil engineers of all genders should be encouraged to adapt to organisational changes, offered training to do so, and be supported when returning from a career break.”

The researchers also argue the case for wider diversity to be embraced in engineering.

“Typically, the industry has focused on gender diversity, but other demographic groups are also marginalised within the industry. One in six Australians have a disability yet engineering diversity strategies do not include the cognitive and physical diversity associated with these individuals,” Associate Professor Bunker said.

Read the full paper online: Predicting Career Optimism of Civil Engineers