ACEC survey: Employee referral No. 1

Employee referral is the most frequently used method to fill important employee openings at American Council of Engineering Company (ACEC) member firms, according to results from the “2007-2008 ACEC Design & Construction Industry Trends Survey,” an ACEC, Washington, D.C., survey reported.

According to survey results, nearly one-third of member firms (31%) said referral was the most effective source to recruit new employees, followed by Internet advertisements (20%), college and university recruitment (19%), newspaper advertisements (17%), and executive search firms (13%).

Some of the other trends that are tracked by the “2007-2008 Design & Construction Industry Trends Survey” include: standard of care/client expectations of perfection; infrastructure funding; delivery systems—popularity of design-build and other alternative systems; design software—popularity of Building Information Modeling; perceived lack of qualified engineers; commoditization of engineering; and costs of healthcare—concerns over increasing costs.

The nationwide survey of ACEC member firms features critical demographic, financial, and strategic industry data, all categorized by firm size, region, market sector, and discipline. Summaries of vital economic, social, and political drivers for various industry markets are included as well.

Survey results present a wide range of business trends and industry forecasts. For more information, go to www.acec.org.