UK Construction Jobs: A Gradual Project (Not a Sprint)
Inventory Base has confirmed that the construction sector in Great Britain has been on a gentle rise: about 11 % more workers over the past five years, yet barely 1 % growth in the last 12‑month stretch. A real “slow burn” story.
Current Workforce Snapshot
According to the latest figures (2024), the industry employed an estimated 380,200 people. That’s a tiny bump of 0.7 % (2,615 staff) against 2023, but a respectable 10.6 % jump since 2019.
Where the Numbers Are Moving
- Utilities (electricity & telecom) drove the long‑term growth – jobs in this niche doubled in the last five years, and up a solid 15.7 % over the past year alone.
- Roofing saw a 25.7 % rise since 2019.
- Building construction – residential 22.2 % and non‑residential 25.7 % – indicates a nice rebound since the pandemic lull.
Low‑Hanging Fruit? Not So Fast
Other subsectors have been more “sluggish” or even negative:
- Plumbing & HVAC: +2.3 %
- Electrical installation: +1.4 %
- Floor & wall covering: +1.1 %
- Plastering: +1.1 %
- Joinery installation: +0.3 %
- Building project development: +0.1 %
- Painting & glazing: 0 %
- Other building finishers: -6.9 %
Even the “big ticket” – residential & non‑residential bookings – slipped -0.1 % over the last year, which is a bruise for the government’s ambitions:
Building 1.5 million homes this Parliament last, a target of 370,000 new homes each year, will require a sharp surge in construction talent, or the supply will keep falling behind the insatiable demand.
On the Real Estate Pond
There’s a ticking clock. The housing shortage is tightening the rental market, which is already feeling “pressure‑seeking” demands.
More homes could diffuse that pressure, giving renters more choices and pulling rent prices downward. However, that relief will only materialise if the new houses are renter‑friendly and not just for owner‑occupiers.
Executive Take‑away
Sián Hemming‑Metcalfe, Operations Director at Inventory Base gave the headline bakery taping attention:
“The Chancellor’s bold words on housing are looking a lot like tentative whispers on the data side. Tiff with the sector’s slow recent crawl means that serious, skill‑centric investment is needed. Without that, supply will stay stuck behind demand, not just in building, but also in rentals that are already at a squeeze.”
“The Autumn Budget is a real chance for the Prime Minister and the Chancellor to show they’re in lockstep and ready to make those numbers happen.”
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