The ongoing skills shortage in construction is resulting in many construction firms having to dig deeper into their pockets to keep employees happy. Recently, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reflects exceptionally high bonuses being paid to retain employees in the construction industry. More money certainly helps and unexpected bonuses are one way…
As the news in the construction and infrastructure industries continues its rollercoaster ride, one factor remains steady – the skills shortage. Statistics from October 2021 put the number of vacancies above 40 000, the highest in years, and indications are that it’s only getting worse. This is a challenge for main contractors that are already…
Since the early stages of the pandemic, the infrastructure sector was placed in the limelight as the industry that would help the UK economy weather the uncertainties ahead. Certainly big promises were made of investments and a pipeline of projects and to a degree, some of these have been fulfilled. For example: HS2 was given…
Globally, across all industries, companies are finding it harder to retain employees. A side effect of the pandemic has been that people’s values and priorities have shifted. For many it resulted in the realisation that the job they were working themselves to the bone for, was really not worth it. Family and friendship was more…
When the new points system for work visas was announced most Brits thought it was a good idea, until industries start to point out that the very people being disqualified by the system were central to the economy. Now a few years down the line the UK is battling with a lack of drivers, construction…
Labour shortages are nothing new to construction. For years the industry has been warning of the diminishing pool of senior expertise as professionals retire or exit the industry. But now the crunch is being felt at all levels, with main contractors reporting they’re having to pay up to 18% more for unskilled labour because there…
The skills crisis in construction has been talked about for years, yet investment in training and development doesn’t seem to have had much impact. Perhaps because so many construction firms were struggling to keep their heads above water and the pipeline of projects wasn’t looking too optimistic. Nobody could have predicted that a global crisis…
The UK Government’s recent announcement that £650bn investment has been earmarked for infrastructure development in the next ten years, hasn’t exactly been met with a great amount of enthusiasm. Those are big numbers, for sure, especially with £31bn available for spending in the next financial year. And there’s no debate that the infrastructure is needed…
Construction firms are under a great deal of pressure at present. Projects are moving forward quickly and a great deal of investment has been made available to ‘build back better’. As much as the boom is welcomed, it’s not without its challenges. Materials shortages are resulting in rising costs and project delays. But that isn’t…
It is good that the construction industry is booming with multiple major infrastructure projects coming online. It’s creating more opportunities for companies and individuals. But amid the major expansion plans that most players in the construction sector have, there’s one major flaw. There’s not enough expertise to fill the skills gap and ensure successful delivery…
With just two months to go until the UK says goodbye to the European Union, there’s a strong likelihood it’s going to be an unceremonious no-deal Brexit. Despite months and years of negotiations agreement on trade deals have not be reached and this is going to have a direct impact on many industries. For construction…
On the back of Brexit there have been many ambitious promises made. Promises for better infrastructure, promises for facilitating a transition to clean energy, promises to deliver affordable housing and public facilities such as hospitals. Not to mention the controversial go-ahead for HS2. All of these have one thing in common: A promise to build…
