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Building A Career In Construction

Nov 13, 2018

Are you looking to get yourself a job in construction? Well, luckily for you there’s never been a better time, as there is currently a shortage of skilled workers in the industry. However, as you may already know, this industry is very competitive so it’s important that your CV stands out from the crowd. In this piece, we’ll give you tips on how best to pad out your CV as well as outline which roles on the construction...

Scottish construction firms lagging behind UK as a whole

Oct 29, 2018

Scottish construction firms have grown at a slower rate than their counterparts south of the border in the last three years, according to new figures. Factors including rising costs, challenges in securing high margin work and difficulties accessing lending are being blamed for the comparatively poor performance. A report by accountants Henderson Loggie analysed accounts from 1,708 construction companies across Great...

Laing O’Rourke delays results amid “historic turbulence” in sector

Oct 29, 2018

The UK’s largest privately-owned contractor, Laing O’Rourke, today said it would not be able to file its annual report until Christmas at the earliest, citing “delays with historic turbulence in the construction sector.” Construction is under “enormous pressure” as a result of the withdrawal of funding and the demise of companies like Carillion, its chief executive Ray O’Rourke said. Laing...

179,000 UK construction jobs need to be filled from 2018 to 2021

Oct 22, 2018

Derby College has teamed up with colleagues at Gateshead College to launch a research project into the skills shortages and limited engagement in Construction degree courses. The BRIDGE project has been supported by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEGCE) Catalyst Fund and has been prompted by a Construction Skills Network report which has highlighted a growing skills shortage in the industry. The study said that...

New home construction is up in the UK, especially in north-west

Oct 18, 2018

Construction of new housing has increased by 5.6% both in the pas t three months and y ear-on-year. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) recently released a report on output by the UK’s construction industry during the month of August. The report compares the statistics to the previous three months and year-on-year, showcasing the specific types of...

UK construction industry forecast downgraded for 2019

Oct 17, 2018

The Construction Products Association’s autumn forecasts for the construction industry expect growth will remain flat in 2018, and rise by only 0.6% in 2019, a substantial downgrade from its previous estimate of a 2.3% increase. Despite a weakened market, private housing continues to be a key sector of growth for the construction industry, with first-time buyer demand enhanced by the government’s Help to Buy...

HS2 project in UK to support 15,000 jobs by 2020

Sep 20, 2018

Construction of the HS2 project in the UK will support 15,000 jobs in engineering, design and building sectors by 2020, according to a new report. Over 7,000 jobs have already been supported by the project and more than 2,000 business have already won work with HS2. More than 100 apprentices are already working on the project, and this figure is expected to reach 2,000 over its lifetime. At peak construction phase, 30,000 jobs will...

RICS report: a forward-thinking solution to the UK housing crisis

Sep 18, 2018

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has released a paper calling on government and the construction industry to think outside of the bricks and boost diversity in construction skills, by embracing Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). RICS Modern Methods of Construction analyses the benefits of embracing off-site modular housing and using PropTech to aid modern day housing delivery. It also addresses and recommends...

Brexit migration plan would “cripple construction”

Sep 18, 2018

Construction experts have slammed a report from the The Migration Advisory Committee which sets out plans for a new immigration policy post-Brexit. The committee has decided not to make construction a special case when it comes to relaxing rules to keep up a steady stream of lower-skilled workers. Brian Berry, chief executive of the Federation of Master Builders said: “The report explicitly recommends that there should be...

UK construction sector hits summer high as record output boosts economy

Sep 13, 2018

The latest figures released by The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have revealed strong performance in the UK’s construction sector, with output up by 3.3%. Housebuilding seems to have thrived throughout the summer heatwave with the growth of construction leaping by 0.5% in July as result. Sterling was up 0.15% on the US dollar to trade at 1.293, and rising 0.2% versus the euro to 1.118, which boosted the...

UK economy bounces back in July as construction output hits record high

Sep 10, 2018

The UK economy bounced back in July as the services sector rebounded and construction output reached a record high. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the economy expanded 0.3% in July, while gross domestic product (GDP) rose 0.6% on a three-month basis. That was ahead of economist expectations for a 0.1% and 0.5% rise, respectively. Economic growth was bolstered in part by the UK’s dominant services...

Construction jobs market holds up despite slowing growth

Sep 10, 2018

Commercial building was the best performing area of construction output in August 2018, followed closely by residential work, the latest monthly survey of industry purchasing managers reveals. The latest expansion of housing activity was the weakest since March, though, and civil engineering workload decreased for the first time in five months. A number of survey respondents cited a lack of new work on infrastructure projects....

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