The results of the Association of Consulting Architects’ sixth “pulse check” survey have been released, revealing the significant impacts of the last two years on architectural practice.
This survey was conducted by the ACA from the 18 July to 1 August and received responses from 352 practices, representing more than 7,000 staff.
The survey sought to understand the difficulties faced by practices, and as such, questions were split into three areas: challenges relating to staffing, project management, and business operations.
The most common staffing challenges related to higher than usual rates of illness and an upward pressure on salaries not being matched by increased income. “The profession is so competitive on times and fees that it is difficult to offer adequate remuneration for professional staff and reasonable time frames to achieve the high level of quality demanded of the profession in a competitive and litigious environment,” some respondents commented.
Additional comments included working-from-home arrangements causing difficulties for focus and productivity, as well as limited face-time for new graduates.
The ACA said that “flexibility is now both the norm and the future”, with greater flexibility in both where and when work is done, with one third of responding workplaces leveraging experiences during the pandemic to inform long-term flexible models.
Only one quarter of respondents reported that their mental wellbeing is better than at the start of the pandemic, while around half perceived no significant difference. Respondents attributed this to the ongoing uncertainty of the pandemic and sustained burnout. Staff wellbeing was influenced “impact at home, particularly on those with children, the cost of living increases, and [global] uncertainty,” a respondent commented.
In terms of projects, activity in most sectors has picked up again to pre-pandemic levels for most responding practices. There are more practices working in all types of housing, but fewer practices involved in aged care and retail compared to pre-pandemic times. Hospitality projects have rebounded from previous pulse checks, and there are more practices involved in cultural projects, heritage, conservation, community and health than before the pandemic.
Encouragingly, 60 percent of practices (180 practices) reported to have taken on new staff, while only 42 practices to have reported having to let people go. Respondents were asked if they experienced difficulties finding new staff, to which 70 percent responded that they had.
The tight job market reflects the activity of the profession, with 77 percent of the responding practices reporting that they are “busy”. This includes 44 percent reporting that are “very busy” (119 practices) and another 32 percent that are “moderately busy”.
The costs of materials, supply chain challenges and other delays were most dominant in terms of challenges associated with project management and delivery. Many who commented also pointed to challenges with local councils and other consultants.
The top challenges associated with running a business related to the increased costs not matched by increased income, the ongoing shifting of risk onto the profession, and fees inadequate to service projects appropriately.
To view the full survey results, visit the ACA website.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
