Construction: Overview

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The construction sector consists of the following areas:

• infrastructure, repair and maintenance;
• public and private housing;
• non-residential public property (e.g. hospitals and schools);
• industrial (e.g. factories and processing plant) and commercial construction.

It was anticipated that for the next five years, an extra 87,600 new recruits would be required each year. A third of these jobs were expected to be for typical graduate roles such as architects, business process managers, construction managers and technical/engineering staff (Blueprint for Construction Skills 2007-2011, Construction Skills Network, Construction Skills, February 2007).

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However, following the economic downturn which began in 2008, the amount of jobs becoming available has actually decreased as the construction industry has been hit quite hard. A lack of finance has meant people are not commissioning construction work as readily as before and the decline in the property market has produced a lower need for new build properties. It is hoped that the situation will improve over the next year but graduates should be prepared to see a decline in available jobs.

What kind of work can I do?

This vast and diverse sector provides opportunities in both well-known fields and niche areas of work. The variety of work available can be divided into five main areas:

• architecture - new builds, regeneration, conservation, commercial and redevelopment;
• civil and structural engineering - coastal and marine, environmental, geotechnical, structural, highways, bridges, rail, tunnelling, airports/ports, transport planning, power, water, public health, risk management and project management (crosses all sectors);
• construction and building services - construction management, design and build, facilities management and building services management;
• engineering construction - air, power, water, oil, gas and nuclear facilities, chemical process plants and infrastructure;
• surveying - building surveying, land surveying, quantity surveying, rural practice and hydrographic surveying.

What’s it like working in this sector?

Working environment

The construction industry moves at a fast pace. New methods, techniques and technology develop rapidly and legislation is always changing. Feedback from new recruits shows that they value the following aspects of the working environment:

• variety;
• challenge;
• responsibility;
• intellectual stimulation;
• sense of satisfaction from contributing to the safety, efficiency and sustainability of the environment and developing world.

The working environment can be stressful and may involve:

• high levels of responsibility early on;
• decision-making under pressure;
• meticulous attention to detail;
• multitasking under pressure.

Salaries

In 2007, the average graduate starting salary was £22,625, with higher salaries offered by international companies/consultancies and lower salaries for roles in UK-wide and regional contractors and local authorities (Target Graduate Trends Survey 2006/7, GTI Specialist Publishers, January 2007).

Diversity

The industry is trying to encourage a more diverse workforce through a range of developments such as the creation of employer diversity policies. Organisations such as ConstructionSkills are working to improve the number of non-traditional entrants to the sector.

Despite these measures, there has been little change in the number of women employed in construction compared with ten years ago (currently 11% of construction jobs are undertaken by women). Since 2000, there has only been a 1% increase in ethnic minority recruitment, which currently stands at 2.9% (Construction Statistics Annual Report 2006, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), June 2006).

Shortage occupations

There is currently a shortage of skilled workers in the following areas:

• building services engineering;
• transportation and highways engineering;
• ground engineering;
• contaminated land specialists.

The last three areas have been listed on the Home Office’s ‘shortage occupation’ list for the past few years. This means that non-British graduates with the requisite experience will find that UK companies are more willing to apply for work permits than for other sectors. The most up-to-date shortage occupation list is available on the UK Border Agency (UKBA) website.

How big is this sector?

• Construction is a huge sector, employing 7% of the UK’s workforce (Construction Statistics Annual Report 2006, DTI, June 2006).
• In 2006, it provided 2.2 million jobs and that figure is expected to increase to over 2.8 million by 2011 (Blueprint for Construction Skills 2007-2011, Construction Skills Network, ConstructionSkills, February 2007). This figure is dependant on how well the industry recovers from the economic downturn in 2008/9.
• In 2006/07, construction companies offered 49 graduate vacancies per organisation

Where can I work?

The concentration of UK work (42% of all new vacancies) will shift from the North to the South and East of England, focusing on London with major infrastructure and building developments such as the 2012 Olympics and Thames Gateway regeneration.

The other UK region expecting a major boost in construction work is Northern Ireland, with £14billion of public investment scheduled between 2006 and 2015 (Blueprint for Construction Skills 2007-2011, Construction Skills Network, ConstructionSkills, February 2007).

For information on working overseas, see opportunities abroad.