Challenging future for construction according to survey
A survey shows 66% of workers believe employers do not upskill, with construction worker demand at 61,000 annually.
Job vacancies are surging by 7.9% between January and July 2025, based on market wide data analysis.
This is withing the context of the UK Government's pledge to build 1.5 million homes by 2030.
However, data shows a 14% decline in the workforce over the past five years, with 15% of workers over 60 (according to Construction Industry Training Board data).
The CV-Library survey of 625 workers in March 2025 indicated not only the significant concern in failure by employers to invest upskilling, but:
- 52% of construction workers haven’t had a pay rise in a year
- 52% cite lack of career progression as their top frustration
- 58% claim access to training and development is lacking
- 30% would only stay in their current job if offered a higher wage.
Despite this, CV-Library analysed job market data that shows a strong interest and demand in construction roles in 2025, especially in regions like the West Midlands and North West, where application volumes remain high.
It was found the 10 most in-demand job vacancies across construction include:
- Project Managers (£71,977 average)
- Quantity Surveyors (£59,975 average)
- Site Managers (£65,244 average)
- Labourers (£28,892 average)
- Senior Quantity Surveyor (£79,514 average)
- Groundworkers (£38,608 average)
- Senior Project Managers (£81,750 average)
- Estimators (£55,822 average)
- Site Engineers (£71,162 average)
- Building Surveyors (£54,211)
The challenges for the construction sector are detailed in the e-book ‘Who will build Britain?’ published by CV-Library.
Lee Biggins, Founder and CEO of CV-Library explains what the skills shortage could mean for Labour’s 1.5 million homes pledge:
‘Urgent action is needed to ensure the talent is there to build Britain. Labour’s pledge to deliver 1.5 million new homes by 2030 won’t be possible without the workforce to build it. Without confronting the growing construction talent gap head on, these ‘homes of the future’ won’t be built.
The industry is under significant pressure and there needs to be urgent investment in skills if the Government is serious about delivering the UK’s major infrastructure goals. More needs to be done to retain existing workers and attract in new workers through apprenticeships and career changes.
For those seeking a career change, the construction industry is one of the few sectors with big investment and a jobs boom. There are a wide range of roles in demand, with many of them being largely AI-proof, offering more job security.’
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