74% of UK construction workers surveyed by YouGov believe that labour and skills shortages will present critical issues in the industry
A third of the respondees (33%) say the impact of skills and labour shortages have already hit the construction industry.
Commissioned by SafetyCulture and undertaken by YouGov, the Feedback from the Field study captures the mood of a construction workforce feeling the strain of increased labour demand and constricted supply.
Respondents feel shortages are detrimental to their own careers
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.
Poor knowledge sharing and computer inefficiencies are holding companies back, say construction workers
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Workers also flag areas for improvement in outdated and overly complex tools and IT.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.
YouGov estimates that across the whole industry, this lost time could equate to an estimated £1.34bn a year.
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.”
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