Where have all the managers gone?

The latest CIOB survey paints a worsening picture of skills shortages in the UK construction industry. Of the 1,281 people questioned in an online poll – 54% of them working in companies employing more than 200 people – 84% said they found it either very or quite difficult to recruit senior or middle managers in 2007, compared with 76% in 2006.

Variety of work (50%) and career progression opportunities (19%) were cited as the biggest attractions to starting a career in construction, while quality of training barely figured on respondents’ radars at just 1.2%.

Recruiting trades remains a problem with 90% of respondents saying they found it either very or quite difficult to get new staff, compared with 88% in 2006. Asked what they perceived as the main reasons for the shortages of skilled workers, 36% blamed the poor image of the industry and 20% the lack of suitable academic/vocational courses and apprenticeships.

Attempting to gauge the impact of migrant labour on the UK market, the survey found that 59% of respondents had increased the number of foreign construction workers they employed in 2007. A total of 75% thought migrant workers were either quite or very common among labourers in their organisations, 69% among semi-skilled and 61% among trades. Further up the management ranks only 3% said foreign managers were either quite or very common among senior staff.

Skills shortages are compounded by the fact that the quantity of work is increasing at many companies. ‘We’re busier than ever this year, with full order books, which has made it harder to find enough people, particularly surveyors and planners,’ says HBG’s head of training, Chris Jones. ‘Graduate applications from construction management courses were also down on last year.’

Kath Knight, director of HR at Mace, has also had problems placing staff: ‘Finding staff with the right skills and experience for whom it is the right time to move to an international role can sometimes be a challenge.’

Willmott Dixon, meanwhile, experienced the worst skills shortages in the commercial disciplines. ‘Quantity surveyors and estimators are in particular short supply,’ reports head of HR Rick Lee.

So how are these firms keeping their staff? ‘We encourage retention by developing, promoting and rewarding our people whenever possible,’ says Lee. ‘We believe that achieving both business and individual potential is necessary for real job satisfaction. The past year saw record staff promotions and we expect that to increase.’

‘People have a choice who they work for, so it’s important to try to be the best,’ says Knight. ‘We continually benchmark our employment strategies, through an annual staff survey and Sunday Times 100 Best Companies, and make sure we act on areas that staff tell us need attention.’

And HBG’s Jones says: ‘HBG is investing in skills development and technical training and we have just reviewed our maternity and paternity benefits. We’re working with the supply chain to encourage apprenticeships.’

But Jones warns: ‘The industry has become too reliant on Eastern European workers to plug skills gaps – it’s not sustainable.’ cm