Construction-Sector Recovery at Risk from Skills Shortage

A shortage of bricklayers, carpenters and site managers threatens to derail the construction sector’s recovery, an industry group has warned after fresh evidence of recruitment struggles at building companies. The Federation of Master Builders said its latest poll of small and medium-sized (SME) construction firms found employment picked up for the sixth quarter running and the growth was expected to continue over the coming three months. But about half of the 400 or so companies surveyed said they were struggling to recruit bricklayers. Brian Berry, the chief executive, said a skills shortage continued “to loom large over our industry. Almost half of construction SMEs are struggling to recruit adequate numbers of bricklayers, with others finding it increasingly hard to hire carpenters and joiners, site managers and supervisors.” Read more on the Guardian website.