Latest member survey from the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) reveals that employee numbers are rising and are expected to continue doing so for at least the year ahead.
A positive balance of 39% of firms are employing more skilled operatives than a year ago and employment of ‘other’ operatives rose according to a balance of 40% of firms. Both of these numbers were their highest for several years.
There are also high expectations of further expansion. A balance of 54% of firms expect an increase in operatives and 49% in staff employment. The balance for operatives was the highest for six years.
Welsh firms were the most optimistic about future hiring in Q2, with a balance of 76% and 71% expecting an increase in operatives and staff employment, respectively. In England, a balance of 60% of firms expected the employment of operatives to increase, and 59% of firms expected the employment of staff to increase. In Scotland, on balance, 23% of respondents expected employment to increase for operatives and 13% for staff.
The overall picture from the CECA’s 2021 second quarter workload trends survey is that civils workloads remain buoyant but there is an unprecedented level of difficulty with the supply of materials and products. Costs and tender price balances have also hit an all-time high.
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