Blue collar job fears

BLUE collar jobs are being squeezed as roads, railways and water bosses turn to high- end technology.

One third of builder and engineer Costain’s workforce is now in technology and consultancy roles as it seeks to meet market demand.

The Maidenhead business which helped build the Thames Barrier and Channel Tunnel now also beams traffic data into cars and works on data analytics for water companies.

It said: ‘We are aligning our business development activity with the changing spend patterns of our clients.’

Costain posted an 11.6pc fall in sales during the first half of the year, to £772.9m. However, margins increased and underlying profits grew by 8pc to £22.8m.

The group’s order book was roughly flat at £3.7bn, with 90pc repeat business.

Costain is paying a half-year dividend of 5.15p per share.

Boss Andrew Wyllie said: ‘This performance is due to our differentiation as we evolve into the UK’s leading smart infrastructure solutions company.’