ASLA Survey: More Landscape Architectural Firms Plan to Hire in First Quarter 2015

Many landscape architectural firms viewed 2014 as an improvement from the previous year, but they still reported quarterly dips in billable hours and inquiries for new work in the fourth quarter, according to the American Society of Landscape Architect’s (ASLA) latest Business Quarterly survey. Plans to hire rose from the previous quarter.

The survey found that 74.67 percent reported stable to significantly higher billable hours, a notable decrease from 84.17 percent the previous quarter. Some 76.75 percent said inquiries for new work were stable to significantly higher, another decline from 83.89 in the third quarter.

Year to year, 80.17 percent of firms indicated stable to significantly higher fourth-quarter billable hours, a slight dip from the fourth quarter of 2013 (81.5 percent). Additionally, 84.64 percent said inquiries for new work were stable to significantly higher, a jump from the fourth quarter of 2013 (81.5 percent).

Across the board, most firms (87.51 percent) described business conditions for 2014 as stable to significantly better than the previous year. Fully 71.88 percent said that 2014 was slightly to significantly better.

Of all firms with two or more employees, 50.63 percent said they planned to hire in the first quarter of 2015, a rise from the third quarter (48.06 percent). Some 57.90 percent of firms with 10 to 49 employees will be hiring landscape architects, experienced and entry-level.

The survey included questions related to international work. Fully 10.96 percent of all respondents said that international billings are an important segment of their firms’ business. Additionally, 19.30 percent said that their firm worked on international projects in the last three years, and 16.67 percent said their firm had international work in 2014.

Types of projects in 2014 included commercial (71.79 percent), public (51.28 percent) and residential (35.90 percent). The top regions included Asia (51.28 percent), Latin America (38.46 percent), Middle East (33.33 percent) and North America (33.33 percent).

The majority of firms (73.33 percent) that did not pursue international projects in 2014 said they were not interested in pursuing this work. Others said they are actively pursuing international projects (5.13 percent) or considering international work (21.54 percent).

Key survey highlights:

Compared to the third quarter 2014, your fourth quarter 2014 billable hours were:

Answer	Percent
Significantly higher (more than 10 percent)	10.67
Slightly higher (5 to 10 percent higher)	30.22
About the same (plus or minus 5 percent)	33.78
Slightly lower (5 to 10 percent lower)	16.00
Significantly lower (more than 10 percent)	9.33

Compared to the third quarter 2014, your fourth quarter 2014 inquiries for new work were:

Answer	Percent
Significantly higher (more than 10 percent)	10.96
Slightly higher (5 to 10 percent higher)	34.21
About the same (plus or minus 5 percent)	31.58
Slightly lower (5 to 10 percent lower)	15.35
Significantly lower (more than 10 percent)	7.89

Year to year, compared to the fourth quarter in 2013, your fourth quarter 2014 billable hours were:

Answer	Percent
Significantly higher (more than 10 percent)	29.07
Slightly higher (5 to 10 percent higher)	35.24
About the same (plus or minus 5 percent)	15.86
Slightly lower (5 to 10 percent lower)	12.33
Significantly lower (more than 10 percent)	7.49

Year to year, compared to the fourth quarter in 2013, your fourth quarter 2014 inquiries for new work were:

Answer	Percent
Significantly higher (more than 10 percent)	24.56
Slightly higher (5 to 10 percent higher)	32.89
About the same (plus or minus 5 percent)	27.19
Slightly lower (5 to 10 percent lower)	9.21
Significantly lower (more than 10 percent)	6.14

How would you describe business results for 2014 compared to 2013?

Answer	Percent
Significantly better than 2013 (up more than 10 percent)	36.61
Slightly better than 2013 (up 5 to 10 percent)	35.27
About the same as 2013 (plus or minus 5 percent or less)	15.63
Slightly worse than 2013 (down between 5 and 10 percent)	7.59
Significantly worse than 2013 (down more than 10 percent)	4.91

Do you plan on hiring any employees in the first quarter of 2015 (multiple answers)?

Answer	Percent
Yes, we’ll be hiring an experienced landscape architect	11.41
Yes, we’ll be hiring an entry-level landscape architect	16.30
Yes, we’ll be hiring an intern	10.33
Yes, we’ll be hiring support staff	4.89
Yes, we’ll be hiring other design/architecture/engineering staff	10.33
Yes, we’ll be hiring other staff	8.15
No, we’re not currently hiring	55.43

International billings are an important segment of my firm’s business.

Answer	Percent
Yes	10.96
No	88.16
Don’t know	0.88

Did your firm work on any international projects in the last three years?

Answer	Percent
Yes	19.30
No	80.26
Don’t know	0.44

In 2014 did your firm have any international work?

Answer	Percent
Yes	16.67
No	82.46
Don’t know	0.88

If so, what type (multiple answers):

Answer	Percent
Residential	35.90
Commercial	71.79
Public	51.28

Indicate the regions where your firm’s projects are located (multiple answers):

Region	Percent
Asia	51.28
Africa	15.38
Australia and Oceania	12.82
Europe	20.51
Latin America	38.46
Middle East	33.33
North America	33.33

For firms that did not pursue international projects in 2014, indicate which of the following is true:

Answer	Percent
My firm is actively pursuing international projects	5.13
My firm is considering international work	21.54
My firm is not interested in pursuing international work	73.33

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Business Quarterly survey asks quarterly benchmarks on key statistics including billable hours, inquiries and hiring plans. The survey is not intended to be statistically significant but instead provides a snapshot of the landscape architecture industry. The Q4 2014 national survey was fielded Jan. 21 to Feb. 4, 2015, with 229 primary firm contacts responding.