A shortage of skills in the construction industry has resulted in an increase in the wages of construction workers, new research suggests.
Statistics compiled by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) indicate that people with bricklaying skills are now able to be paid up to £25 an hour for their work.
The REC’s latest research pinpoints bricklaying as being a specifically hard role for construction companies to fill, with the data showing that London bricklayers are obtaining up to £1,000 per week for their services.
In addition, the Construction Skills Network data compiled by CITB shows that 2,870 jobs for bricklayers are set to be created each year from now to 2020.
Kevin Green, Chief Executive at REC, estimates that workers in the construction industry could earn £34 extra each week in comparison to just last year.
Mr Green said that the data they had obtained highlights that a significant amount of employers are increasing the rate of pay faster as companies battle to obtain skilled workers.
However, he warned that this may not be a sustainable trend and argued that the industry must come to terms with the skill shortages outlined by improving careers advice in schools and offering more apprenticeships.
Furthermore, it has been suggested to employers that they should increase their investment in skill development as well as offering more opportunities for work experience.
In the last year, CITB has launched a careers website for the industry, ‘Go Construct’, which has been designed to raise awareness of the various career opportunities that can be pursued in the construction sector.
The organisation has also announced recently that it will be funding more than £7.5m in specific project funding in order to aid the crucial skill needs required for the industry to grow.
In response to the research, a Government Business Department representative commented that ministers are very willing to give power to construction companies for them to deliver worthwhile apprenticeship schemes.