Construction industry recruitment forecast cut by half

The Construction Skills Network (CSN) has binned a seven-month-old forecast for the number of staff required in UK construction and slashed its original prediction by more than half.

In a report published in February this year, the CSN predicted UK construction would require 88,000 new recruits per year between 2009 and 2013.

But in an unusual move it recalculated its figures this month to take account of the downturn, particularly in private housebuilding, to just 42,000 recruits per year.

The revision means that CSN expects the industry to require 184,000 fewer new recruits over the next four years than it originally predicted.

The news is a major blow to ConstructionSkills, which has spent several years highlighting a skills shortage in the industry and urging employers to take on more apprentices.

It also spells bad news for the government, which two weeks ago launched the Construction & Built Environment (C&BE) diploma which it hopes will encourage more youngsters into the industry.

The CSN tried to play down the news by pointing out that although growth in private housing was weak at just 0.3%, infrastructure was growing at an annual rate of 6.5%.

But housing and infrastructure bodies warned that any growth would be rocky.

Roger Humber, strategic policy advisor at the House Builders Association, said: "I wouldn't like to put my money on a 0.3% growth rate. It could be 0.3% plus or minus this year and then we could see disproportionate rates of growth in 2010 because we are starting from such a low base.

"What is important is not to say we don't need these people - if we have work before 2013 then it is going to be a big challenge to complete it."

A Civil Engineering Contractors Association spokesman said: "There are certain areas of infrastructure, such as those linked to housebuilding, that are experiencing a downturn. Our most recent workload trends survey showed negative balances for strategic roads and local roads and water and sewerage."