Construction firms ‘struggling to hire skilled labour’

Nick Elvin

The shortage of skills currently experienced across many sectors is being strongly felt in construction, with firms finding it difficult to recruit suitable workers, a survey by Maple Resourcing suggests.

According to the recruitment company’s study, the number of construction vacancies advertised outstrips most other industries, and finding candidates to fill these positions is a challenge felt by all across the sector.

Over the past ten months, Maple Resourcing has seen placements in construction grow each quarter, and the survey found that 68.75% of companies are actively looking to hire more staff. However, 81.25% of those surveyed are struggling to find suitably skilled labour.

Demand is greatest for bricklayers, carpenters/joiners, plumbers and plasterers. Placements of carpenters increased by 60% from the second to the third quarter of 2013, while the number of placements of electricians went up by 120%.

The demand is so high for these skills that carpenters are able to charge up to £200 per shift and electricians are able to charge an hourly rate starting from £20.

Stefan Morris, trades manager for Maple Resourcing said: “2014 has seen a distinct change in the blue collar construction recruitment market place.

“The price-led competitiveness which had been such a feature of blue collar recruitment since the recession first hit has been replaced by supply capability as the key driver for recruitment sales.

“As construction growth has really taken hold, demand for most trades has far outstripped the market’s ability to supply it. This has led to real challenges for recruiters and their clients who have often priced the work many months or even years in advance and set charge rates accordingly. This has left many contractors struggling to meet wage increases demanded by trades.

“For the first time wages for many temporary construction workers are now in excess of their 2007/8 levels and if the industry can continue to grow it may be a while before supply catches up, so wage increases could be a trend for a while yet.”