New research by recruiting agency Randstad, ‘Mind the Gap’, examines the North-South divide with levelling up in mind, across construction projects and jobs, as output in infrastructure and housebuilding rebounds from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
… infrastructure and private housing delivery have rebounded…
… top 10 roles are dominated by on-site positions…
Owen Goodhead. Chief operating officer at Randstad, writes in pbc today writes:
2020 was a year like no other: the whole country spent a considerable amount of time at home and entire industries came to a halt, as we worked together to stem the spread of Covid-19. The dual impact of Covid-19 and Brexit understandably caused uncertainty in the construction market, as it has across the world.
Project pipeline
Despite this the construction sector has demonstrated its resilience, establishing itself as one of the bright spots of the economy. The latest ONS Construction Output statistics show that infrastructure and private housing delivery have rebounded,…
It is a similar story when you consider infrastructure projects. …
With more projects currently proposed in the South of England than the North. There are over 5,500 more infrastructure projects, with guideline commencement dates of 2021, in the South East than the North East, where just 1,530 projects are planned.
Job opportunities
The significant pipeline of projects across England presents opportunities for workers, it is one of the industries where vacancies have increased on the quarter, up by 43% to 26,000.
Our analysis of current live vacancies shows there are thousands of roles available in the sector on a permanent, contract and temporary basis. The top 10 roles are dominated by on-site positions – 31% of vacancies are for labourers. Engineers are also in demand, with 19% of vacancies in this field and opportunities available for mechanical, electrical and site engineers across the country.
Regional salaries and cost of living
Our research also investigated where construction professionals can secure better lifestyles through higher take-home pay once expenses have been taken into account. We did this by running an analysis on average salaries across a range of on-site and office-based roles, household expenditure and monthly mortgage or rental payments. This enabled us to create an affordability index….
Our analysis found that construction professionals in the North East would be significantly better off than their counterparts in London and the South East, with up to 50% of their salary remaining after household expenses compared to 10% in London and 21% in the South East….
Covid-19 has also shifted the lifestyle priorities of many, encouraging people to reassess living situations and reconsider whether they want to live in cities long-term, the importance of adequate space at home and access to a garden….
To download Randstad’s 2021 analysis of regional recruitment in construction, visit: https://bit.ly/39kXjmn
