Member Article

Construction skills shortages confirmed

The Chartered Institute of Building’s (CIOB) annual skills shortage survey has revealed that 77% of respondents had problems recruiting during 2006. The results support other existing data that there is a significant skills shortage in the UK construction industry. 72 percent of respondents expected that demand for construction would increase over the coming year and that they would not be able to recruit enough skilled workers to meet it. 68 percent felt that the existing workforce was not sufficiently skilled.

Recruitment difficulties were reported at all levels in the industry but the greatest problems were reported at both management and at craft/trade levels. The reasons given for this were varied but most commonly respondents felt that the construction industry was simply not attractive enough to potential recruits.

Michael Brown, CIOB deputy chief executive, said: “A combination of small numbers leaving university and a buoyant global construction industry have both been factors in the skills shortages we now see. We believe that the recruitment of non-cognate graduates is fundamental to plugging the gap and growing the industry. If we also exploit young people’s potential by giving them meaningful responsibility in their careers this would aid both retention and development. It is relatively easy to import migrant workers at craft or supervisory levels locally, from Eastern Europe, but considerably more difficult to recruit senior managers.”

For a full copy of the report visit www.ciob.org.uk/resources/research.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .