What we do

Skills and capacity

According to government figures, the construction industry employs approximately 1.7million people in the UK. The vast majority of these jobs are skilled or semi-skilled positions.

The domestic labour market is finding it difficult to keep up with the continually increasing demand from the construction industry. At present the shortfall is being met by labour from the EU, particularly from the former Eastern Block countries. This is an unsustainable position in the long term.

We are working with stakeholders to determine how our members can influence those who can improve the skills base within the UK workforce.

There are also concerns over the ability of the UK construction industry to keep pace with demand for new projects. These concerns are exacerbated in South East England by major projects such as the Olympics and Crossrail, which are about to begin. There are real concerns about both the capacity of the construction industry and the knock-on financial effects of demand outstripping supply.

Related committees:

• Construction Committee

Latest Skills and capacity documents:

Displaying 1-3 of 3 documents