Construction Recruitment Concerns Outlined
A new report from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has outlined the key challenges ahead for the construction industry over the next few years.
The REC's first ever Construction Sector Profile said that a flexible, well-qualified workforce would need to be in place to fill jobs in construction once economic recovery is fully underway. It identified "upskilling and diversifying worker capability" as the "two key drivers" for the industry.
Jason Campbell, the chair of the REC Construction Sector group said: "Undoubtedly this has been the toughest time in living memory for those working within our business".
"However it has provided us with a chance to regroup and consider the possible implications for the industry. In particular, we need to focus on worker quality in tandem with environmental issues that will have a long-term effect on construction industry."
"Providing sections of the workforce with the new 'green' skills will put us ahead of the game when new regulations come into force".
The profile also contained findings on how the industry views employing workers through a construction recruitment agency.
Overall, employer satisfaction in construction recruitment through agencies was 75%, in comparison to 68% in other sectors of industry. Compared with UK employers as a whole the construction sector also fills more positions through a recruitment agency. 13% of construction employers use six or more different agencies, and most (29%) use two.
When asked what the most important factors for an employer were when using agencies, the profile found that three factors were of equal importance; low price, candidate quality and their familiarity with the agency.
When asked what the biggest drawback was in using agency workers, 21 per cent said that it was their confidence in those provided to fill construction jobs.