Tens of thousands of construction jobs are set to be created in the next five years, according to new research.
A forecast issued by the Construction Industry Training Board’s Construction Skills Network (CSN) on 29 January suggested that employment in the sector would grow by 182,000 by 2018.
The report’s positive predictions contrast strongly with a loss of 40,000 jobs shed in the sector in 2013. Even with the growth in jobs, Construction Industry Training Board chairman James Wates said that employment in 2018 was forecast to be 196,000 below pre-recession levels.
The CSN said private housing would be the chief driver for sector growth. It also forecast that employment growth would vary widely across the UK, with East Anglia at the top end set to see its construction workforce increase by an average two per cent a year, while the West Midlands is predicted to experience an average reduction of 0.2 per cent.
Stewart Baseley, executive chairman of the Home Builders Federation (HBF), said that the government’s Help to Buy initiative was encouraging builders to increase output and they were looking to recruit in all areas.
He added: “To build the homes the country needs we will need a bigger and suitably skilled workforce and we are working with the industry to put this in place.”
Recruiting new staff involves a significant investment for construction and other employers, which is why it makes sense to get the processes involved right so that they lay the foundation for productive employer-employee relationships in the future. Construction employers looking to recruit new team members may find it useful to review recruitment and selection policies procedures, along with contracts of employment, to ensure they are up-to-date and fit for purpose.
The Palmers employment law team can provide expert advice on all these issues. For more information, please contact us.