Number of people prepared to work over 100 miles from home has halved in 10 years

More and more construction workers are turning their backs on working away from home with family and lifestyle being put ahead of the traditional concept of returning home on a Friday for the weekend.

These are the findings of a new report from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) looking at trends in the construction workforce.

Its Workforce Mobility and Skills in the UK Construction Sector research found that workers were becoming less willing to travel long distances for employment.

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Site-based workers are increasingly less likely to travel far away from home, instead preferring shorter commuting distances similar to their office-based colleagues

In the past 12 months, a third of construction workers have worked no more than 20 miles away from home.

Only 18% have worked between 50 and 100 miles away, compared to 26% in 2015, while 10% have worked more than 100 miles away, compared to 21% in 2015.

CITB’s analysis said family, lifestyle and personal circumstances were playing an increasingly important role in decisions about where people choose to work.

The findings lend weight to the government’s recently announced approach to vocational work more generally, which will see greater input from local businesses and politicians into technical education in particular areas.

Under new prime minister Andy Burnham’s plans, new educational pathways will give 14-year-olds access to improved and expanded technical routes, with stronger links to local employers.

“It’s certainly a positive that local employers are going to be better connected with students, helping to align the education and skills systems,” said Lee Bryer, insights manager, CITB.

“Construction has traditionally relied on workforce mobility to help meet demand, but the evidence suggests that model may become less effective in the years ahead. If workers are less willing to travel or relocate for work, skills shortages risk becoming increasingly localised.

“This means skills strategies must become more place based. We’re already working towards this at CITB, having established partnerships with Mayoral Strategic Authorities and regional leaders to better understand local labour market needs and support action plans aligned to regional priorities.

“This work has helped strengthen relationships between employers, training providers and local decision-makers, creating a stronger foundation for addressing emerging skills challenges at a local level.”

The survey was undertaken by BMG Research and involved face-to-face interviews and a small number of paper surveys with 3,611 construction workers across the UK.