Future Looks Bright For Skilled Construction Professionals

Independent contractors have become a blessing for employers that need to fill specific skill gaps. The rise of freelancing has made it possible for companies in practically all sectors to secure the necessary talent on short notice. In the construction industry, it seems that independent professionals with valuable skills will not want for work in the next few decades given the looming talent shortage in the sector.

This emerged from a new report by specialist construction recruiter Randstad, which estimated that the UK construction industry will need 1.02 million workers engaged in the sector by 2050. This is the number necessary to ensure that the country can meet its construction needs with a projected population of 74.5 million by that time. Taking into account the current employment figures for the sector, the UK construction workforce will have to add 150,000 workers by 2050.

“about 875,000 people are engaged in construction, which is 32% higher than the minimum number required.”

The good news is that sector employment has received a solid boost thanks to the launch of big infrastructure projects. The number of jobs has grown at a pace that puts employment growth ahead of schedule: about 875,000 people are engaged in construction, which is 32% higher than the minimum number required.

However, this will not create problems for highly skilled construction professionals because they will be badly needed in the years ahead, Randstad Construction, Property and Engineering managing director Owen Goodhead pointed out. While employment opportunities in the sector have grown significantly over the past year, the fact remains that workers with specific skill sets are hard to find. The challenge for employers will not be attracting and retaining staff in general but achieving such success with highly skilled workers, Goodhead noted.