Inside Housing - West Midlands
Inside Housing
Regional focus – West Midlands
Bhav Parmar, Manager of Hays Social Housing, provides an insight into employment opportunities for social housing professionals in the West Midlands:
The West Midlands stands out because of the diversity of living locations that it offers: a complete mix of rural, semi-rural and urban areas. The region’s economic strategy therefore focuses on improving housing in each of these three areas by a deadline of 2010. For example, for the semi-rural areas rejuvenating city, town and local centres to offer communities high quality services is a key objective.[1] “However, while it is evident that work is underway to develop housing across the region, house prices are steadily rising and housing waiting lists are getting longer, resulting in a strong need for continued investment” states Richard Gelder, director of Hays Social Housing.
This commitment to and investment in housing, combined with activity surrounding a number of nationwide government initiatives is increasing demand for social housing professionals. Those with regeneration and development experience are particularly in demand.
The restructure and mergers of several of the larger Housing Associations, such as Midland Heart is also impacting on staff numbers and the roles that are in demand. The Decent Homes Standard has resulted in an increase in the number of trades and labour staff working for contractors, which is likely to increase as we get closer to the 2010 deadline.
Plus, the Gershon efficiency drive is impacting on temporary staffing levels, as more Local Authorities and Housing Associations attempt to reduce the number of people they employ on a contract basis. However this is buffered by an increase in candidates who are specifically looking for temporary work – given the skills shortages, they are often aware that they can command high salaries. Indeed, temporary rates are increasing at a fast rate and because of the shortage of experienced candidates, the continuity of work can still be sustained. Equally, we are seeing greater numbers of people employed on a consultancy or project basis, rather than just on a temporary contract via an agency.
The nationwide change to employment through a managed agency system has also started to have an effect on the West Midlands. In many cases, this has challenged the traditional system of recruiting via a hiring manager, who works directly with the staff, whereby this has been redirected through the HR and procurement divisions.
Compared to other regions across the UK, the West Midlands also has a high number of refugees, estimated to around 50,000.[2] This intensifies the need for housing but also provides another pool of skilled labour.
Permanent salaries across the region are remaining steady, with a housing officer in the West Midlands expecting to earn around £20,000. A housing manager in a city such as Birmingham could expect to earn £27,000 and a project manager can command up to £30,000.
Overall, the region has a strong housing market and a clear strategy in place to ensure positive economic growth. Social housing professionals with experience are highly sought after across the West Midlands, which has particular demands due to its ethnically and culturally diverse population and candidates with diversity experience are therefore in demand.
The diversity of population and landscape combined with an increasing need for investment in housing signals a wealth of opportunities for specialist social housing professionals and salaries are rising to match. Whilst salaries are still not on the scale of those in the South, the gap is diminishing and there are vast opportunities.
For further information contact Bhav Parmar, Manager of Hays Social Housing, on 0121 566 9972 or visit www.hays.com/socialhousing
[1]
http://www.cih.org/midlandsunited/final-report.pdf
[2]
http://www.cih.org/midlandsunited/final-report.pdf
