Research Shows Construction Skills Shortage

New research has unveiled the extent of the skills shortage, finding that 83% of businesses within construction are currently feeling the strain from the lack of skilled workers.

The new report by recruitment firm Search Consultancy also stated that on average businesses in the industry are 22% understaffed with the average lead time to hire a suitable candidate standing at just under four months.

The research also looks into causes of the skills shortage and impact it is having on businesses in the construction sector. Of those surveyed, 36% said that a simple lack of qualified candidates is the main contributing factor. An extra 25% of managers cited an inability to retain staff as a major issue while 25% listed Brexit as a key contributing factor.

Twenty-three per cent of managers believe that their industry is experiencing a skills shortage due to job cuts, with 22% stating a lack of training opportunities is a concern. One in five also stated insufficient funding within the sector as a contributing factor.

Paul Kynaston, Managing Director of Construction & Property at Search Consultancy, said: “Having worked in the Construction sector for almost 25 years, I have seen skill shortages intensify year on year. The industry has an image problem. Construction work is seen as dangerous, poorly paid and dirty and I think young people are now looking for quicker career movement than it’s traditionally been possible to achieve.

“The reality is something very different. Projects are now diverse and dynamic places to work, often at the cutting edge of engineering technology, and salaries/rates of pay have increased dramatically. Indeed, it is not unusual for skilled blue-collar workers in the sector to comfortably earn £50k pa.

“One thing is for sure, if the country is to achieve its ambitions of having world leading infrastructure, then we’re going to need the people to design and build it and the Construction sector will need to up its game to attract the talent of tomorrow.”

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