Increase in construction job vacancies is not good news

A recruiter has warned an increase in the number of job vacancies in the construction sector during May is not good news…

Construction and rail recruitment specialist One Way has warned that an increase in construction job vacancies may not necessarily be good news for the sector.

According to figures outlined in the Markit/CIPS UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index, May saw a four-month high for newly created jobs. However, One Way said this simply highlighted a worsening skills crisis in the sector, particularly when coupled with the fact industry output has seen a recent slowdown.

One Way’s managing director Paul Payne said: “On paper a rise in job vacancies should be great news for us, but when you consider the bigger picture it only highlights the growing skills shortages that the industry faces.

“Job vacancies have risen because there simply aren’t enough professionals to meet the demand, and that’s at a time when output is at a three-year low. Imagine what the situation will be like when we get over the Brexit uncertainty and look to raise productivity once again.

“We’ve been banging the same drum for some time now, but something needs to be done before we hit a wall and projects have to be put on hold because of skills shortages.

“The issue is a ticking time bomb and unless something drastic is done soon, the industry could be in big trouble. That’s not to mention what could potentially happen if we were to leave the EU and talent pipelines from across Europe were affected.

“Obviously this is great news for current construction professionals who are likely to pick which projects they want to work on, and what they’ll be paid, but for the industry as a whole it’s a real worry.”