The construction industry’s widening skills gap could result in “tangible societal consequences”, according to a new report from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).
The Industry Picture 2026 report explores the challenges and opportunities underpinning the construction skills gap. It aims to help industry, employers, government and training providers understand the significant trends and challenges for the industry and where targeted action can have the greatest impact.
The growing construction skills gap has been reported by CITB and the wider industry for years. However, CITB warns that leaving the gap unaddressed for any longer will put the industry at increased risk and could impact government targets, including the delivery of 1.5 million new homes by 2029.
As well as the potential delay or cancellation of the homes and infrastructure that communities across the country urgently need, the competition for scarce labour and skills could constrain the volume of work that can be delivered and push up tender prices.
The report highlights four connected themes:
- Fewer people are available to the industry.
- Demand for construction skills is growing faster than supply.
- Too many workers leave the industry too soon.
- Current productivity levels are insufficient to offset worker shortages.
Key recommendations
The report highlights that, to secure its future and deliver on national ambitions, industry must invest more in people, modernise its approach to skills and training, and work collaboratively across the sector.
Recommendations include co-ordinated action to make construction a more attractive career option, connect better training with real job opportunities, improve flexibility to retain more workers at every stage of their career, and make better use of modern technologies.
The report concludes that achieving meaningful progress will require a unified effort from industry leaders, government bodies, training providers and CITB.
Marcus Bennett, head of industry analysis and forecasting at CITB, said: “Construction is central to the UK’s economic future, yet the industry faces a workforce challenge that is becoming more pressing each year.
“Not enough people are entering the industry, too many experienced workers are leaving, and productivity has not improved at a sufficient rate to plug the gap. As a result, the industry’s capacity to deliver on housing, infrastructure and retrofit commitments is under increasing strain.”
Bennett added that the report presents a wide body of evidence of what is happening, why challenges persist in construction, and where targeted action can make the greatest impact. “Industry, government, training providers and CITB all have a shared role in building a stronger workforce. The evidence is undeniable: a cross-industry solution is the only option to solve the workforce challenge,” he said.
“The report will also help to inform CITB strategy going forward, and we hope it will inspire government departments to work together and more effectively with training providers and industry to think differently about how we tackle the great opportunities for the industry, enabling us to build a better future.”
