The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has shared The Industry Picture, a new report exploring the current trends and challenges facing the industry, with a particular focus on skills, talent and training.
Despite being one of the UK’s largest and most essential industries, the construction sector is still struggling to attract the necessary levels of new workers needed to meet current output targets.
The construction workforce is projected to reach around 2.75 million people by 2029. However, the CITB anticipates that this will not be sufficient to meet demand for upcoming projects, estimating that an additional 48,000 workers will be needed each year based on current levels.
Construction opportunities outpacing available workers
Put simply, with construction output predicted to grow steadily over the next few years, there simply aren’t enough qualified people currently working, or entering, the industry to keep pace with this demand.
When adding the activity required to fulfil government housing and retrofit ambitions, the annual skills gap could grow significantly, from 48,000 to 160,000. This is based on an additional 61,000 people being needed for homebuilding targets, and 51,000 new workers for retrofitting targets.
The CITB warns that even if these numbers were available to the industry, the education, training and recruitment structures that currently exist will not be sufficient to address this gap.
Pressure to attract and retain
A substantial portion of the current workforce is set to retire in the next 5-10 years, with the average age of workers now over 42 and climbing.
This not only puts huge pressure on the industry to attract new talent, but also reinforces an urgent need to retain mid-career workers whose experience is set to be more vital than ever.
A key part of this could be ensuring clearly-defined progression routes are available, or offering better support for older workers through things like flexible working and less physically intensive roles.
In terms of attracting talent, the CITB says that the industry must rethink recruitment practices and access a broader talent pool. This means expanding work placement and training opportunities, and creating entry pathways for groups that are currently underrepresented within the sector.
What does this mean for tradespeople?
As the industry heads into what looks to be an incredibly busy period, the need to attract, train and upskill both new and experienced tradespeople couldn’t be clearer.
While these skills shortages undoubtedly remain a concern for the industry and its leaders, they could, and should, translate to appealing opportunities for those who do possess the sought-after skills and qualifications needed to fill these gaps.