UK needs 266,000 construction workers by 2026 to meet output
Report from Construction Skills Network says sector growth will require increased worker demand.
The UK needs 266,000 extra construction workers by 2026 – the equivalent of 53,200 a year – to meet construction output.
The findings come from a report by the Construction Skills Network (CSN), which adjusted its figures upwards from the requirement of 43,000 workers a year calculated in 2021.
All nine English regions, plus Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, will experience growth, the report predicted. That is likely to result in increasing demand for workers.
The areas of the sector most affected by demand are private housing, infrastructure, and repair and maintenance.
If construction meets the growth projected by the CSN report, construction employment will reach a high of nearly 2.78mln workers.
CITB CEO Tim Balcon says the sector still faces challenges. “These future growth projections are encouraging after the stalling effects of the pandemic. However, this is set against a current backdrop of higher energy costs, material shortages, and associated price inflation that is currently hitting companies across the sector.
