Great news for the property and construction industry this week as the government introduces new plans to help boost building, and return to work safely.
Through a number of initiatives, including extending planning permission deadlines and speeding up planning appeals, we should see a boom in construction work. After the struggles of the last year, this is all part of an effort to support the industry and help the economy recover.
The government estimates that current housing development plans alone will create more than 24,000 new homes across the UK.
Could now be the time to invest in growing your team by hiring highly skilled construction and property professionals? We absolutely think so!
Property and Construction Vacancies at a Record High
According to the Office for National Statistics, construction vacancies are at an all-time high. This has been caused by two significant events – COVID and Brexit.
With lockdowns and social distancing measures, many construction and infrastructure projects have either been moving forward at a significantly slower pace or have been put on hold completely. This was reflected in the job market, with construction vacancies reaching a record low in April 2020.
Finally, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel though. With the recent Government announcements surrounding building projects, construction businesses all over the country have been scrambling to make up for lost time, resulting in a huge spike in recruitment.
Brexit has also contributed to the high number of construction vacancies. As the size of the UK’s EU workforce shrinks, there are not many industries that have been impacted as hard as construction and property. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the number of EU workers in the construction industry has fallen by 42% since 2017. This issue has been further compounded by a 4% drop in the number of UK-born workers, taking the construction employment numbers from 2.3m to 2.1m.
With the property and construction industry facing shortages of staff, the Financial Times released an article warning that urgent steps that need to be taken in order to avoid projects being slowed. Now is the time to take all important steps to ensure the recovery of a vital taskforce.
Recruitment and Apprenticeship opportunities
There are already a number of extensive apprenticeship programmes offered in the UK construction industry, and with the huge boom in the number of new construction projects we should see in the UK, there are plenty of opportunities to provide training and employment opportunities for local people.
However, with the rapid decrease in highly skilled and trained EU workers, the domestic workforce will require significant training to develop the necessary skills and experience – and a transition period must be allowed for. Construction companies must reassess their employees and recognise highly skilled workers hungry for more responsibility, who can be promoted from within in order to further strengthen the workforce.
Recruitment Support from PPR
With over 30 years in the Property market, the PPR team have a pre-screened Talent Pool, full of high calibre candidates for property related roles.
Reach out to Andy or Ali today, and we’ll be delighted to help you with your recruitment strategy.
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