Balfour Beatty says it will increase its UK workforce from around 14,000 to 16,000 over the next two years as it scales up to deliver infrastructure.
The recruitment drive builds on a headcount rise from 12,200 at the end of 2023 to around 14,000 at the end of 2025.
By the end of 2027, Balfour Beatty expects its UK workforce to have grown by more than 30% in four years, reflecting both the strength of the UK infrastructure pipeline and the skilled jobs needed to deliver it.
The company also supports the employment of some 4 million people through its 7,200 UK supply chain partners, of which 64% are SMEs.
The expansion reflects a strong UK order book and wins in Balfour Beatty’s chosen growth markets, including energy.
In the first half of 2026, the group delivered 24% revenue growth in UK power transmission and now holds a £2.1bn power transmission order book, with a further identified pipeline of up to £8bn.
‘Clear vote of confidence in the market’
“Britain’s infrastructure ambitions will only be realised if the country has the capacity, capability and skills to deliver them,” said group chief executive Philip Hoare.
“Expanding our workforce by 2,000 is a clear vote of confidence in the market. It shows the scale of opportunity ahead and our commitment to investing in the people, projects and technical expertise that will power Britain’s future.”
Early-career talent will be a major part of the recruitment drive. Apprentices, graduates, interns and trainees already account for around 9% of Balfour Beatty’s UK workforce, which it says gives it a “strong platform to build the skills pipeline the infrastructure sector urgently needs”.
Around half of the new intake – some 1,000 positions – are expected to come through early-career routes, including apprenticeships, graduate programmes, internships and trainee positions.
The company estimates that early-career employees will make up 12.7% of its UK workforce by the end of 2027, which supports the UK government’s goal of putting technical and academic pathways on a more equal footing.
Praise from government
Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds praised the contractor’s plan.
“This is exactly what we want to see, a big British company backing Britain and creating 2,000 more jobs,” he said.
“We’ve got a huge amount of work to do to get growth in every postcode over the next few years. So having British firms investing in people here, and training up the next generation to do those jobs, is really good news.”
