Employment Opportunity for Asian Quantity Surveyors in UK

Employment Opportunity for Asian Quantity Surveyors in UK

September 21, 2007

Breakthrough for the QS Profession

    HONG KONG, Sept. 21 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The
Chartered Quantity Surveying (QS) profession is now on the
UK National Shortage Occupation List following a
concentrated campaign by RICS.  The UK Home Office's Border
and Immigration Agency confirmed the decision to the
property profession, which shows the Government is taking
seriously the issue of skills shortages in the construction
industry.  

    According to Mr. Michael Sullivan, RICS spokesperson,
"There is widespread recognition of a chronic shortage
of Quantity Surveyors in UK. Firms have been struggling to
recruit experienced UK based and overseas QSs for some
time. Some large firms have had up to 60 vacancies each. 
Hopefully, with easier access to the pool of foreign,
professionally qualified QSs, concerns about meeting the
anticipated increase in construction work in the UK will
shrink.  

    RICS research revealed there were around 6,500 QS
vacancies across the UK in January 2007.  49% of these were
unfilled for more than six months and 35% for more than 12
months.  

    Mr. David K W TSE, Chairman of RICS (HK), said,
"Demand for QS is genuinely high in nearly all
developing or developed countries as they are Chartered
Surveyors with special expertise in cost management,
contract management and project management relating to both
building and civil engineering contracts and thus they are
required throughout the development process of both
building and infra-structural projects. It is quite a
common trend for locally trained and qualified QSs to take
overseas assignments and career opportunities and I am sure
all QSs in Hong Kong will be delighted to hear about this
news." 

    It takes an average of 6.2 years to become a Chartered
Quantity Surveyor. Following the success of the campaign,
RICS plans to look at the extent of shortages of skilled
staff in areas such as project management and building
surveying.  

    Border and Immigration Agency announcement:   
http://www.workingintheuk.gov.uk/working_in_the_uk/en/homepage/news/announcements/Chartered%20quantity%20surveyor.html

    Note: If the URL above wraps to a second line, paste
both lines into the browser.



    For more information, please contact:

    RICS Asia Pacific Public Relations Representative
     Ms Belinda Chan or Ms Katherine Chow
     Tel:    [phone]
     Fax:    [phone]
     Mobile: [phone] or [phone]
     Email:  [e-mail] or [e-mail]