Green covers blanket the buildings, cranes tear up the skylines - despite the plummeting economy, and Britain still seems to be in the midst of a commercial building boom. While other sectors are cutting back, the commercial building industry is not, with the problematic result of a sharp shortage in construction workers to fill the increasing demands of the companies.
The dearth of skilled construction workers becomes most apparent when looking at last year's figures. 13,000 building projects were initiated in 2007 alone, and in order to support these projects, some 18,600 labourers were needed. The deficiency in skills is therefore widespread, expanding from the trade to the non-trade. Within trades, the highest annual requirements come from the wood and the electrical trades, but demands are also high for brick-layers and construction specialists. In the non-trades, construction managers, business processing managers, architects, office-based IT recruits, and technical and professional staff are among those on high demand.
These deficiencies are largely due to three reasons: 1) the impact of the building boom, 2) the decrease in the number of East Europeans in the trade; 3) recruiters' misconceptions of what construction work entails.
The first reason is quite self-evident and has already been discussed previously - the higher the project demands are, the more individuals need to be hired to do the jobs.
As the British trade has been largely dominated by highly-skilled Polish workers over the years, the impact of Poland's recent economic boom has driven many Poles back to their home country, which is a big loss for British construction companies.
The third reason that the UK is experiencing a worker shortage is due to recruiters' misconceptions of what construction work actually entails. Many job hunters perceive builders as hard-hats limited to a construction site, while in reality, a lot of construction jobs are often managerial or office-based.
Various steps have been taken to diminish the gap in the trade. One of the ways companies do this is by getting women and various ethnic groups to consider a career in construction - not just white males with maths qualifications. The National Association of Women in Construction, for example, is looking outside the traditional recruitment pools, trying to target groups with a larger range of skills and work approaches. This creates a different work atmosphere, introduces fresh ideas into the industry, and cultivates diversity in the workplace.
The Sustainable Employment Legacy Forum and Inspire Scholarships are two programs that provide initiatives to get younger generations interested in the industry. They not only organise trips for children to visit construction sites, but provide training courses, student funds, and apprenticeships for those in the poorer areas of London, by doing so encouraging more graduates to enter the trade.
An alternative way to gather recruits is to change the way in which the industry is viewed. By making the public aware of the fact that construction work is not just about hard hats and light-reflecting mesh jackets, more people might consider construction as a career. - 16069
The dearth of skilled construction workers becomes most apparent when looking at last year's figures. 13,000 building projects were initiated in 2007 alone, and in order to support these projects, some 18,600 labourers were needed. The deficiency in skills is therefore widespread, expanding from the trade to the non-trade. Within trades, the highest annual requirements come from the wood and the electrical trades, but demands are also high for brick-layers and construction specialists. In the non-trades, construction managers, business processing managers, architects, office-based IT recruits, and technical and professional staff are among those on high demand.
These deficiencies are largely due to three reasons: 1) the impact of the building boom, 2) the decrease in the number of East Europeans in the trade; 3) recruiters' misconceptions of what construction work entails.
The first reason is quite self-evident and has already been discussed previously - the higher the project demands are, the more individuals need to be hired to do the jobs.
As the British trade has been largely dominated by highly-skilled Polish workers over the years, the impact of Poland's recent economic boom has driven many Poles back to their home country, which is a big loss for British construction companies.
The third reason that the UK is experiencing a worker shortage is due to recruiters' misconceptions of what construction work actually entails. Many job hunters perceive builders as hard-hats limited to a construction site, while in reality, a lot of construction jobs are often managerial or office-based.
Various steps have been taken to diminish the gap in the trade. One of the ways companies do this is by getting women and various ethnic groups to consider a career in construction - not just white males with maths qualifications. The National Association of Women in Construction, for example, is looking outside the traditional recruitment pools, trying to target groups with a larger range of skills and work approaches. This creates a different work atmosphere, introduces fresh ideas into the industry, and cultivates diversity in the workplace.
The Sustainable Employment Legacy Forum and Inspire Scholarships are two programs that provide initiatives to get younger generations interested in the industry. They not only organise trips for children to visit construction sites, but provide training courses, student funds, and apprenticeships for those in the poorer areas of London, by doing so encouraging more graduates to enter the trade.
An alternative way to gather recruits is to change the way in which the industry is viewed. By making the public aware of the fact that construction work is not just about hard hats and light-reflecting mesh jackets, more people might consider construction as a career. - 16069
About the Author:
Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about plumbers, central heating, Notting Hill boiler, underfloor heating and solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.
