It’s a blood bath out there. Architecture firms are experiencing mass layoffs. Work is drying up.
I won’t name names, but it’s many of the city’s best known firms. And the hardest hit may be the city’s BEST known firm.
-Reader and regular commenter UptownR, observing the vulnerable position of architects in an economy where few new buildings are being announced.
Looking at the employment and salaries of architects is one way of gauging the relative strength of the new-construction market, but aside from UptownR’s tips, we haven’t heard much about widespread layoffs in the architecture community — yet. In fact, a recent press release from the American Institute of Architects posted on Blair Kamin’s Skyline blog reports that “prior to the recent downturn in construction activity,” architects’ salaries in the nonresidential sector have risen significantly in recent years.
However, that was before the bust. During the construction downturn of the early 1990s, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill cut 27 percent of its staff in what has since been dubbed the Halloween Massacre, according to a recent story in the Architectural Record, and similar cuts are likely on the horizon now.
“In a ZweigWhite survey of U.S. architecture, engineering, planning, and environmental consulting firms, 71 percent of respondents said they would consider cutting staff during a recession to reduce expenses,” the AR article says.
If you are an architect looking for work, I’d suggest sending a resume over to Perkins and Will. Phil Harrison, CEO of Perkins and Will, is quoted in the AR story saying the firm recently increased its staff by 22 percent.
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Comment of the day: Job security
-Reader and regular commenter UptownR, observing the vulnerable position of architects in an economy where few new buildings are being announced.
Looking at the employment and salaries of architects is one way of gauging the relative strength of the new-construction market, but aside from UptownR’s tips, we haven’t heard much about widespread layoffs in the architecture community — yet. In fact, a recent press release from the American Institute of Architects posted on Blair Kamin’s Skyline blog reports that “prior to the recent downturn in construction activity,” architects’ salaries in the nonresidential sector have risen significantly in recent years.
However, that was before the bust. During the construction downturn of the early 1990s, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill cut 27 percent of its staff in what has since been dubbed the Halloween Massacre, according to a recent story in the Architectural Record, and similar cuts are likely on the horizon now.
“In a ZweigWhite survey of U.S. architecture, engineering, planning, and environmental consulting firms, 71 percent of respondents said they would consider cutting staff during a recession to reduce expenses,” the AR article says.
If you are an architect looking for work, I’d suggest sending a resume over to Perkins and Will. Phil Harrison, CEO of Perkins and Will, is quoted in the AR story saying the firm recently increased its staff by 22 percent.
AUTHOR: mark boyer