27/04/2014
Vacancies in the construction industry are rising sharply, pointing to a buoyant year for the sector, though a shortage of skilled workers could hold back the pace of recovery.
The industry had 19,000 vacancies in the period from December to February, up from 13,000 a year earlier, according to the Office for National Statistics. Provisional data for January-March show the total rising to 20,000, up 64 per cent on the previous year, the fastest increase of any sector.
The figures are “the latest in a stream of data which suggest that the construction sector is regaining its vitality”, said Graham Jenner, director of NoPalaver, which provides accounting services to people working as contractors.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said last week that construction workloads grew in the first three months of the year at the fastest rate for at least 20 years, with the private housing sector driving the boom.
But it said increasing skills shortages were reported in many trades, from bricklayers and carpenters to quantity surveyors, and in most parts of the country.
A cross-party group of parliamentarians warned recently of a training and apprenticeship crisis. “For 2013 the number completing their construction apprenticeship in England fell to 7,280, just half the figure for 2008-09. They are pathetically dismal figures,” said Nick Raynsford, MP and joint chairman.
The group said that without sufficient skilled home grown staff, employers were once again looking to import labour from other countries, particularly from eastern Europe.
Fonte: ft.com
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