Electrical Connection Spring 2015

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www. e l e c t r i c a l c o nn e c t i o n . c om . a u 7 3
South Africa 2016
Next year’s conference is at Spier
in Stellenbosch, South Africa
Places are limited
so register your
interest today!
Sunday 17 April to Thursday 21 April
s 7HERE OVERALL COSTS ARE PERCEIVED TO HAVE
INCREASED OVERHEAD COSTS ARE THE BIGGEST
CONTRIBUTOR
s (OWEVER EVEN HERE THE IMPACT IS LESS THAN
IN PREVIOUS YEARS
s !N INCREASE IN CALL OUT RATES MAY BE
ABSORBING THE PERCEIVED IMPACT OF COST
RISES
s 2ATES CHARGED BY RESPONDENTS TO CUSTOMERS
DO APPEAR TO HAVE INCREASED SINCE THE
SURVEY PARTICULARLY IN TERMS OF CALL OUT FEES
s 4HERE HAVE BEEN SLIGHT INCREASES IN THE
HOURLY RATE OF TRADESMEN IN ALL STATES EXCEPT
THOSE WHO WORK IN THE !#4
Business confidence
s "USINESS CONlDENCE IS DOWN WITH MORE
CONTRACTORS CLAIMING THEY HAD LESS WORK THIS
PAST YEAR THAN THE ONE BEFORE
s /VERALL CONTRACTORS ARE EVENLY DIVIDED
BETWEEN BEING OPTIMISTIC OR PESSIMISTIC
ABOUT FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES FOR WORK WITH
UNDER S SIGNIlCANTLY MORE CONlDENT ABOUT
FUTURE WORK THAN THEIR OLDER COLLEAGUES
s /PTIMISM VARIES BY STATE n 7! IS PARTICULARLY
CONCERNED ABOUT WORK OPPORTUNITIES IN THE
NEXT MONTHS AS THE SLOW DOWN IN MINING
TAKES HOLD 4HIS IS ALSO REmECTED IN THE FACT
THAT THOSE SOURCING WORK FROM RESOURCES ARE
ALSO MORE PESSIMISTIC
s #ONTROLLING COSTS AND MANAGING CASH mOW
CONTINUE TO BE SEEN AS THE MOST IMPORTANT
AREAS FOR BUSINESS FOCUS
s (OWEVER COMPETITION FOR WORK HAS
INCREASED AND THIS IS MORE OF A CONCERN FOR
FUTURE BUSINESS THAN IN PREVIOUS STUDIES
s 7HILE THE TOP THREE CONCERNS ARE THE SAME
REGARDLESS OF AGE WAGE EXPECTATIONS AND
RELIABILITY OF SUPPLIERS WERE MORE PRIORITISED
CONCERNS TO UNDER S 4HEY ARE ALSO
LESS CONCERNED WITH THE GENERAL ECONOMIC
CLIMATE THAN THEIR OLDER COLLEAGUES
Future business influences
s !S IN PREVIOUS STUDIES ,%$ TECHNOLOGY
LEADS THE MENTIONS OF EMERGING
TECHNOLOGIES
s (OWEVER MENTIONS OF RENEWABLES SOLAR
AND ENERGY EFlCIENCIES HAVE INCREASED IN
THIS STUDY REmECTING THE ONGOING BROADER
CONVERSATION AT A SOCIAL AND POLITICAL LEVEL
s 7HILE NOT DIRECTLY COMPARABLE SPECIlC
COMMUNICATIONS AND NETWORKING TECHNOLOGIES
HAVE RATED INCREASED MENTION THIS YEAR