Most-needed construction skills named

Nine industry organisations have collaborated to determine the construction trades suffering most in the UK’s continued skills shortage.

The organisations – Association for Consultancy & Engineering, Build UK, Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA), Construction Plant-hire Association, Construction Products Association, Federation of Master Builders, Highways Term Maintenance Association, National Federation of Builders and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) – have published the list of 18 skills below and urged that the industry works more closely together to tackle the shortage crisis and accelerate recruitment for these essential roles.

In alphabetical order, these are:

• Acoustic engineers
• Bricklayers
• Carpenters
• Ceiling fixers
• Chartered surveyors
• Civil engineers
• Construction and building trades supervisors
• Construction project managers
• Design engineers
• Dry liners
• General labourers
• Groundworkers
• Mechanical & electrical engineers
• Planners
• Plant and machine operatives
• Production managers and directors
• Quantity surveyors
• Structural engineers

The report’s partners are urging the government to heed their findings and add these professions to its Shortage Occupation list, joining the likes of ballet dancers and executive chefs, as part of its current review of immigration ahead of Brexit.

Currently, construction is not considered a special case and its crisis may suffer further with a slump in EU workers pre- and post-Brexit. The organisations want more effort made to recruit for these roles within the UK through bringing in new workers or upskilling the existing workforce.  They also recommend prioritising these professions in future migration from the rest of the world.

Suzannah Nichol MBE, chief executive at Build UK, said: “Construction projects across the UK are being held back by a shortage of suitable skills. This survey provides vital evidence of the specific roles which must now be considered by the Government for inclusion on the Shortage Occupation list ensuring that we can keep Britain building.”

CECA chief executive Alasdair Reisner added: “Speaking to companies from across UK construction we have identified some key roles where recruitment is already very difficult, or where it will become so once migration from the EU is reduced post-Brexit.

“We believe that it is crucial that we work together, as an industry and with government to target these shortage occupations, boosting recruitment and training in the UK, while looking to sensible migration from the rest of the world to meet additional demand.”

Patrick Cusworth, head of policy and public affairs at the CIOB, commented: “We recognise that the construction industry in the UK needs to be more ambitious in terms of recruiting, training and developing more people than it currently does.

“However, research has shown that in the short-to-medium term the industry needs to be able to continue to access migrant labour in a number of key professions such as construction and project management and a number of site-based roles.

“If we are to deliver ambitious housing and infrastructure targets and deliver the quality and high standards people expect, then we must ensure that we have the flexibility in place to recruit to these roles, while at the same time taking a longer view on recruitment and retention in the UK construction industry.”