At the start of 2025, the construction skills shortage is still pressing at many recruiters. Angela Carney, president of the Northern Counties Builders Federation (NCBF) discusses how the environment can be more welcoming to those looking to make a career in construction
A 2023 report revealed that over the last ten years, the number of women in construction has increased 36.9%. This is a welcome trend that demonstrates the growing diversity within the sector.
Women are increasingly taking on project management roles, with 13.8% of construction project managers surveyed being female. While these numbers are still far from equal, I believe this is an exciting opportunity as it indicates that the construction sector has an untapped employment pool.
Demand for staff is rising
It is a time of growth within our industry with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) outlining that output is expected to rise 2.4% year-on-year, driven by growing demand for housing, infrastructure and repair and maintenance. Indeed, the Government has set a target of 1.5 million new homes in the next five years.
However, a recent report revealing 7 out of 10 young people would not consider a career in construction is a stark reminder of the deepening skills shortage within the UK’s construction sector. This is a growing concern, particularly with an ageing workforce, as many skilled workers are nearing retirement. Without a fresh influx of young talent, we face a crisis that threatens the future of our industry.
To address the issue, NCBF launched the ‘Building Your Future’ campaign earlier this year. It has made significant strides in connecting employers with students in essential trades, including bricklaying, plumbing and carpentry. Through successful collaborations with Hartlepool, Sunderland, Darlington and Gateshead College, we have helped to bring together local employers and final-year students, facilitating networking opportunities and showcasing the wide range of careers for both men and women in construction.
In addition, over the last year, NCBF, supported by Constructing Excellence in the North East, has relaunched the North East Schools Built Environment Wonder Challenge. The competition involves year 8 pupils setting up a construction company to design and develop a sustainable transport system for their local area. Participants must explore the careers involved, conduct market research and develop designs accordingly, before pitching their finished design to a panel of experts. Last year’s winner was St Anthony’s Girls Academy, in Sunderland.
The opportunities available in the industry need to be clearer
Widening the understanding of career options available via initiatives, such as the Wonder Challenge, is critical as construction is often viewed as being a ‘dirty’ and manual industry, but this is only a small part of the picture and one that marketing has done little to change. The sector offers a wide range of career opportunities in roles such as project management, design, finance and health and safety.
Traditionally, recruitment campaigns and marketing strategies have been geared towards men, reinforcing outdated stereotypes that the industry is primarily suited to a male workforce. This has to change.
Further support for this shift comes from a LinkedIn report, which analysed data from over 610m users across more than 200 countries. The report revealed women are less likely than men to apply for jobs unless they meet 100% of the role requirements. Men were revealed as being more likely to apply when they meet just 60% of the criteria.
Interestingly, when women apply, they were shown to be 16% more likely than men to be hired after applying for a job via LinkedIn. They were also 18% more likely than men to be hired when applying for a senior role. However, when headhunting, recruiters were 13% more likely to click on a man’s profile than on a woman’s profile that shows up in search.
This presents a clear opportunity, in terms of both recruitment practices and education within the recruitment process, to encourage more women to apply for roles and recruiters to diversify who they consider when headhunting.
A more diverse workforce is an achievable target
By improving recruitment practices and embracing diverse marketing strategies, we can help ensure more women are aware of the vast opportunities within construction.
The business case for diversity is well-established. Research by McKinsey & Company has shown that companies with high gender diversity are 25% more likely to experience above-average profitability than their less-diverse counterparts. The evidence is clear that gender diversity drives better business outcomes and the construction industry cannot overlook this opportunity.
The time for change is now. We must work together to rethink how our sector recruits and markets itself to create an environment where everyone thrives. The future of construction depends upon it.
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