20 Nov
A recent survey by RICS UK Construction suggests that skill shortages in the industry are the worst they have been for 20 years. There are a number of reasons why construction firms in the UK have been struggling to secure a stable growth. These include limited access to credit and regulatory and planning issues.
The chief economist at RICS, Simon Rubinsohn, has said; “While it’s exciting to see that the UK is experiencing growth across the construction sectors, future growth will only be sustainable if the growing skills crisis is addressed.”
“The availability of both blue collar and white collar construction workers is reaching crisis point. We haven’t witnessed a labour shortage of its kind in nearly 20 years. Without the relevant skills, we will not be able to grow many of the Governments priority construction sectors such as infrastructure.”
“Currently, while we know that there is a serious shortage of skill, we don’t yet know why we have seen such a dramatic drop in the labour market over the past five years.”
“A real focus on attracting more young people into the industry is critical alongside an expansion of apprenticeship opportunities.”