Why you should consider a career in construction

Martyn Makinson

Martyn Makinson explains why now is the opportune time for young people to consider a career in the construction sector.

Recent research from totaljobs.com examined employment rates for ‘entry-level’ candidates who have gained a qualification and left education in 2014, and the research highlighted a positive change in attitude toward skilled, blue-collar workers.

Overall, 15% of entry-level candidates were jobless a year after finishing their studies or training. However, among those who had completed apprenticeships, just five per cent were unemployed, far less than the number of unemployed graduates. This suggests that vocational training is more desirable within the job market than ever before, and young people can benefit from this by choosing a career in construction.

The construction industry is currently experiencing a very strong period of growth, which can be attributed, in part, to a strong demand for new projects across the entire construction sector. The industry’s rapid expansion is responsible for creating a wealth of employment opportunities.

As market conditions have improved, people have become more confident about changing jobs and the companies who haven’t acted fast enough to implement retention strategies have ended up losing their ‘top talent’ to competitor businesses. This has created employment gaps, which companies are keen to fill with apprentices.

With the construction industry continuing to boom as 2015 begins, candidates can be selective about the companies they choose to work for. It’s currently very much a candidate driven marketplace, and so recruitment agencies are more necessary to clients than ever before in order to both identify and attract the best talent.

At Ionic, we are predicting a 45% increase in enquiries from prospective employers in the first quarter of the year, as companies look to recruit new talent. Companies need to work hard to attract the best talent and entice candidates to join the business, and agencies play a key role in the process.

Market conditions should steadily improve in the year ahead, with the job market continuing to be buoyant; this means that contractors are forced to change their approach when it comes to competing for the best talent and more importantly, retaining their own staff.

With the current employment gaps and shortage of construction tradespeople, as well as the recent findings from totaljobs.com highlighting the growth in opportunities for apprentices, now is an opportune time to consider a career as a tradesperson within the construction sector.

Martyn Makinson is managing director of Ionic Recruitment.