3 in 4 UK construction workers fear impact of skills and labour shortages

Three in four construction workers in the UK (74%) believe skills and labour shortages will present critical issues in the industry, according to a study of frontline employees and managers. 

A third of these workers (33%) say the impact of skills and labour shortages have already hit the construction industry.

The Feedback from the Field study undertaken by YouGov and commissioned by global technology company SafetyCulture paints a picture of a construction workforce feeling the strain of increased labour demand and constricted supply. 

The construction workforce shrank from 2.6 million to 2.1 million people between 2008 and 2023¹, while megaprojects including the HS2 high-speed rail project and Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant are stretching resources. 

Far from creating an employees’ market, respondents feel shortages are detrimental to their own career. More than two-in-five (42%) say skills and labour shortages are impacting their personal growth and development.

Workers aren’t optimistic about the future either. Two-thirds (69%) believe there will be a construction ‘brain drain’ in future, with the UK losing more skilled and experienced workers.

Workers point to improved knowledge sharing and efficiency-saving tools as actions that companies and contractors can take to ease the impact.

More than half (52%) of construction workers say their company’s knowledge sharing is ineffective, where better knowledge sharing will help them not only perform their role but deepen their skills and upskill.

Workers also flag areas for improvement in outdated and overly complex tools and IT. The average worker estimates they lose more than five hours a month in unproductive downtime and correcting errors. Across the whole industry this lost time could equate to an estimated £1.34 billion a year².

Alex Brooks-Sykes, SafetyCulture’s lead for UK & Ireland, says: “It seems frontline employees are bearing the brunt of macro changes in construction, from an ageing workforce to a shrinking skills pipeline. 

“Workers are understandably concerned about the industry’s future, but there are changes construction businesses can make to improve life on the frontline. Updating your tools and IT, improving efficiency, and focusing on training can all counteract some of the pressure on skills and resources.”

SafetyCulture’s annual Feedback from the Field report is one of the largest studies of frontline experiences and perspectives across many critical industries, surveying more than 10,000 workers worldwide, of which more than 2,000 are in the UK. The company’s workplace operations platform is used by more than 18,000 UK businesses, including construction industry players like AECOM, ArcelorMittal, and Mobile Mini. 

For more information and to download the report, visit https://safetyculture.com/feedback-from-the-field-time-for-change/