Staff Wanted

The RICS Construction Industry Survey has confirmed what everyone seems to know - that there is massive skills shortage in the industry. According to the report nearly two thirds of firms are finding it hard to recruit Quantity Surveyors.

The industry is currently going through a boom ,with works to the value of £36 billion currently being undertaken.

It is expected that by 2010 the construction industry will need an additional 348,000 more employees. Whilst a large proportion of the skills shortage is trade based, there will be a large increase in demand for Project Managers, Engineers and general technical professionals.

The problem within the construction industry is being tackled by ConstructionSkills which is currently running three initiatives to encourage young people back into the industry. The Positive Image campaign, The Inspire Scholarship and finally the Sustainable Training for Sustainable Communities.

The RICS is also undertaking a drive to encourage more people into the industry resulting in a recent upturn in the number of students.

The RICS is also trying to persuade the government that Quantity Surveying should be listed as having skills shortage, thereby allowing foreign national greater access to jobs in the UK.