A total of 100,000 new construction workers will be required to carry out infrastructure projects scheduled for the next five years, according to new research.

The National Infrastructure Plan For Skills Report shows there will be a need to find an additional 150,000 engineering construction employees by the end of the decade

The research shows there will be a need to find an additional 150,000 engineering construction employees by the end of the decade.

In addition, some 250,000 staff will need to be retrained to meet the demands of 564 infrastructure projects lined by between 2015 and 2020.

It is understood the infrastructure projects are worth £411bn.

The findings in the report indicate younger construction workers will also be in high demand.


Approximately 9% of current employees will reach retirement age by 2020, with a high percentage of plant operative and construction trade supervisors approaching this age.

Lord O'Neill, commercial secretary to the Treasury, said there will now be an examination into how the skills shortages affecting the construction sector can be solved.

He said: "It is crucial we have the right people with the right skills in place to build and maintain our first-class infrastructure, essential to rebalancing our economy.

"This report is just the first step in addressing how we can work with industry to ensure our workforce's competitiveness for the future."

The report suggests a fragmented approach to skills planning, combined with firms designing training solely to suit their specific requirements, could be behind the skills problem.

These factors could be responsible for halting mobility in the labour market, making it harder for workers to move between different construction projects, the research states.

Gillian Econopouly, Head of Policy at the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), said: "This report highlights the huge range of opportunities in the sector as a result of the infrastructure projects coming online in the next few years.

"CITB is increasingly focused on forecasting skills demand, and helping build this intelligence base also helps us to direct funding to industry towards the most needed skills."

(LM/CD)