It points to official labour market statistics that indicate a demographic “time bomb” in the industry.
According to the Office of National Statistics, 19% of UK construction workers are aged 55+. That is 406,000 people that need to be replaced over the next 10 years if the labour force is to stay the same size.
A further 24% (518,000 people) are aged 45–54.
That is 43% of the industry over 45 years old.
Across UK industry as a whole, 17% of the workforce is over 55.
CITB’s interim chief executive William Burton said: “Almost one in five workers is set to retire from the construction industry over the next 5-10 years, so not taking action now to encourage young people to join the industry – and investing in the training to up-skill our existing workforce – is no longer an option. The construction sector is essential for local and national economic growth and to avoid the similar skills crisis that affected the industry in the early 1990s, we urge employers to act now.”
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