Work in surveying, design and planning involves the preparation and development of plans, designs, maps, and surveys. It covers a range of occupations, including:

• surveyors, map makers and planners
• building and landscape architects 
• interior and industrial designers.

The number of people working in the industry is on the rise, and has increased by over 70% between 2001 and 2006, according to Census figures.

Number of people employed in the surveying, design and planning industry

Sector	Number of people employed in 2006
Architectural services	7,077
Surveying services	2,526
Industrial and interior design	2,736
Source: BERL Industry Census Tool, 2006

Several jobs in this industry are experiencing shortages of skilled workers and appear on Immigration New Zealand’s immediate or long-term skill shortage lists.

In the architectural services sector, jobs on the list include:

• Architect
• Architectural Draughtsperson

In the surveying services sector they include:

• Land Surveyor
• Hydrographic Surveyor
• Quantity Surveyor
• Surveying Technician

If a job appears on either shortage list it means that the government is actively encouraging skilled people in that role to come and work in New Zealand.

These shortages may be for a number of reasons, such as:

• strong growth in the number of commercial development projects since 2004, creating more work for people with surveying, design and planning skills
• over a quarter of new graduates in some areas going overseas to work.

Employers recruiting architects and surveyors report that only 40 percent of vacancies are being filled within eight to 10 weeks of advertising, and that there is typically an average of only two suitable candidates for each vacancy.

In some cases, while candidates may have the necessary qualifications for the job, they may not have the skills needed to do the work that is required, particularly for large commercial development projects. Skills needed to work on such projects include:

• project management skills
• good written and oral communication skills
• technical skills, such as proficiency in AutoCAD (a computer-aided design tool).