New industry figures predict a major increase in construction industry work that will necessitate the creation of nearly 400 000 new job opportunities throughout the UK over the next five years.
Some 37 000 new electricians will be required over the next five years in order to meet the forecast demand for electrical installation work.

These figures form part of a report released by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), which reveals that the construction industry is booming.

The CITB believes that the industry will have to create 380 000 new jobs throughout the UK in order to meet the predicted demands for construction work between 2002 and 2006.

The employment forecasts are included in the Skills forecast report 2002-2006. The occupations predicted to have the biggest recruitment needs are joiners (56 000), managers (38 500), electricians (37 000), clerical staff (32 000), bricklayers (30 500) and plumbers (30 000).

This means that an average of 76 000 new recruits will be required each year to 2006. This is both to replace existing manpower, for which 65 000 roles will need to be filled, and a further 11 000 new jobs due to an upturn in the number of major projects either already underway or planned for the near future.

The data comes on the back of a recent CITB advertising campaign aimed at 16-19 year olds. Research following this campaign show that construction as a career choice is on the rise. Young people expressed a sense of achievement from being able to be part of building something tangible as a major factor in their choice of career.

This surprising trend is welcomed in the construction sector, which has long been battling for the attentions of school leavers.

Source

Electrical and Mechanical Contractor