Midlands building boom could bring 17,000 new jobs
UP TO 17,000 new jobs could be created in the construction sector over the next five years, according to a new report.
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) said the high-profile collapse of Carillion would not affect recruitment in the sector as major projects such as HS2 and upgrades to the M6 would create major employment opportunities.
The commercial and housing sectors are now also expected to perform well, according to the latest Construction Skills Network report.
Construction output is set to grow at an annual average rate of 1.8 per cent per year for the period 2018 to 2022. While slightly down on last year, this is still higher than the national average of 1.3 per cent growth and will create almost 17,000 jobs in the region, the CITB says.
Planned road and rail projects will lead to strong annual average output growth in the infrastructure sector of 9.3 per cent over the forecast period.
The CITB said the region was also set to benefit from a recent government commitment to spend £250 million on improving transport links as part of the new transforming cities fund. The report forecasts 3,500 carpenters, 3,050 technical staff and 2,050 process managers will be needed.
Total construction employment is forecast to grow at an average annual rate of 0.8 per cent in five years to 2022, which compares favourably to an estimated gain of 0.5 per cent at the national level.
Lorraine Gregory, CITB partnerships manager for the West Midlands, said: “Despite economic uncertainty brought on by Brexit and Carillion’s closure, the West Midlands construction sector is still very much set for growth, particularly in infrastructure. The outlook remains very positive, mainly due to major projects in the pipeline.
“Private and public housing are expected to continue to perform well particularly in 2018 and 2019 and housing in Birmingham is set to benefit from longer-term plans for 89,000 homes through the Birmingham Municipal Housing Trust.
“This positive forecast should help to reassure the industry despite recent uncertainties and upheavals.
“The forecast for growth means there are great employment opportunities in construction in the West Midlands over the next few years.”