According to a recent study, there are significant construction skills shortages in the industry, with only 8% of roles being filled
The Skills Shortages Report examined 20 industries across the UK to identify the sectors that are facing the worst shortages. Five different job positions for each sector were chosen to be examined. Using LinkedIn, the researchers were able to identify how many jobs were available for each position, and they were then able to compare the number of people currently searching for these roles on Google.
There are currently 34,478 open positions in the construction industry for roles such as construction site manager, construction worker, and roofer. However, only 2,870 people are searching for vacancies; therefore, there is a risk of only one in ten roles in the construction industry being filled.
How have the construction skills shortages affected retrofit plans?
The construction skills shortage became starkly apparent when a shortage of retrofit skills halted the progress of plans plan to upgrade 19 million homes. The planned upgrading of cold and draughty homes in the UK requires an estimated 400,000 builders and retrofit professionals. However, only 250,000 people currently work on maintaining and upgrading homes in the UK; less than 3,000 of these are retrofit coordinators. Forecasts suggest that 50,000 retrofit coordinators are needed by 2030.
The ten industries facing the biggest shortage of employees are:
| Rank | Industry | Number of job roles available on LinkedIn | Number of people searching for jobs | % of likelihood to be filled |
| 1 | Insurance | 46,578 | 570 | 1.22% |
| 2 | E-commerce | 35,800 | 620 | 1.73% |
| 3 | Transport | 54,996 | 2,410 | 4.38% |
| 4 | Retail | 56,067 | 2630 | 4.69% |
| 5 | Tech | 118,211 | 6,800 | 5.75% |
| 6 | Consultancy | 40,163 | 2,560 | 6.37% |
| 7 | Construction | 34,478 | 2,870 | 8.32% |
| 8 | Wholesale | 54,920 | 5,400 | 9.83% |
| 9 | Finance | 62,294 | 6,610 | 10.61% |
| 10 | Engineering | 64,580 | 7,180 | 11.12% |
“Construction is suffering similar problems to other sectors, but those other industries are better focused on training and realise the importance of improved education and practical training. And most importantly, other industries are making sure their training keeps pace with innovation,” said Gerard Toplass, CEO at The 55 Group.
“It is crucial that we work to change the approach to training to ensure we attract both the people needed to tackle modern issues – and deliver the key skills in a better way – to make sure the construction skills shortages do not continue.
“Qualifications need to be shorter, punchier, and aligned to the changing needs of the sector, as well as those of the individuals expected to learn. Training in construction is simply not keeping up with the pace of change, which is seeing increased digitisation and innovation, and a drive to meet net zero carbon,” added Toplass.
