Research from consultant Arcadis shows the industry needs to recruit over 400,000 people each and every year between now and 2021 – equivalent to one worker every 77 seconds – to cope with predicted workloads.
The greatest need is for carpenters and joiners, where demand accounts for nearly one sixth of all
national resource requirements. Plumbers, Electricians, and Bricklayers are also in high demand, particularly in the labour-intensive housebuilding sector.
The report also identifies a need for over 7,400 Civil Engineers, 7,300 Quantity Surveyors and 26,400 Construction Directors.
The figures are independent of the impact of any eventual Brexit deal which would further exacerbate the existing labour shortage.