Carpentry and joinery forecast for biggest demand growth

The construction industry needs to add more than a quarter of a million workers by 2026 to keep pace with demand, according to the Construction Industry Training Board.

The body’s latest Construction Skills Network reported that 53,200 additional workers would be needed each year, with carpentry and joinery identified as particularly susceptible to recruitment pinch points.

The most severely affected sectors are expected to be infrastructure, private housing, output of which is forecast to exceed pre-pandemic levels by 2023, and repair and maintenance, driven by the government’s £9.2bn commitment to improving energy efficiency.

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The industry needs more than 50,000 people each year to come into it by 2026, the CITB said

If projected growth is met, employment in the sector would reach a high of nearly 2.78m workers by 2026.

CITB chief executive Tim Balcon said the forecasted growth was “encouraging after the stalling effects of the pandemic” and addressed the challenge of attracting more talent to the industry.

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“The industry needs to use its many strengths to attract and retain top talent in a competitive recruitment landscape,” he said.

“Training routes into the industry will be a focus for us and we have to attract and retain those that are under-represented – in particular women and those from ethnic minorities.

“It will be a major task, but the industry needs to evolve and reach its untapped potential for the national economy and our competitiveness on a global scale.”

The CITB has handed the industry £110m in training grants this year for 14,000 businesses, including £60.3m in direct grants to employers who take on apprentices.

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