Coronavirus update for construction: 17 June

The results of the cross-industry ‘People Survey’, carried out by Build UK on behalf of the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) earlier this month, provide valuable information to support the implementation of the industry’s Roadmap to Recovery.

Retaining talent in construction reveals an anticipated reduction of 9.9% in the construction workforce by September. In the longer term, 43% of respondents expect to make redundancies, with up to 20% of their workforce being affected. 6.7% of apprentices are likely to lose their jobs by September, and 60% of respondents are looking to take on fewer apprentices at the next intake.

With the results of the People Survey reinforcing the need for a pipeline of projects to protect jobs, the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) has published the National Infrastructure and Construction Procurement Pipeline 2020/21.

This new short-term pipeline details 340 contracts across more than 260 projects and programmes, with an estimated value of up to £37bn over the next year. It details when a project or programme is expected to go out to tender, the estimated value of each contract, and the expected award date. It is also separated into work packages for larger projects where the information is available. The government is planning to publish a full National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline later this year to provide longer term visibility.

Build UK Chief Executive Suzannah Nichol will be joining construction minister Nadhim Zahawi, Dame Judith Hackitt, and Mark Reynolds from Mace at the next LetsBuild ‘Virtual Town Hall’ on Tuesday 23 June from 10.00am – 11:30am to discuss the Roadmap to Recovery and the future for the construction industry postcoronavirus. To join the webinar, you will need to register via the LetsBuild website.

With businesses across the sector looking at redundancies, Build UK partner Citation has developed a redundancy starter checklist covering the key things a company will need to think about before embarking on the process. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has also produced redundancy factsheets for both employers and employees (a Welsh version is also available) setting out the support available.

The CLC has published trade credit insurance guidance to provide practical advice for the construction supply chain when discussing trade credit insurance with brokers and insurers. It is designed to support the government’s trade credit reinsurance scheme, which will provide £10bn of government guarantees to trade credit insurance to stop cover being withdrawn or premiums increasing to unaffordable levels.

Face coverings are now mandatory on public transport in England to help reduce the risk of transmission of coronavirus, and the government has published guidance on how to wear and make a cloth face covering.

Businesses should continue to follow the most up-to-date government guidance and for the latest updates please follow Build UK on Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any construction-specific queries or feedback on what is happening within the industry, please contact Build UK.