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Youth sentiment on construction careers holds firm, CIOB report shows
Nadine Buddoo CM People Editor
Image: Ammentorp | Dreamstime.com
Young people continue to view construction careers positively, with sentiment largely unchanged from last year, according to a new report from the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).
The report, Attitudes to Construction Careers, includes data from a survey by CIOB, first carried out in 2025 and then repeated in February 2026.
The findings, published to coincide with National Careers Week (2-7 March), show that two-thirds (66% 2026 and 68% 2025) of young people aged between 16 and 24 hold a positive view of construction careers, while around a third (30% 2026 and 31% 2025) would consider working in the industry.
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However, almost half (45% in 2026 and 47% in 2025) of respondents said information about working in construction was not included in the careers advice they received while in education.
In addition, more than a quarter (26% in 2026 and 28% in 2025) of the young people surveyed said they do not believe careers in construction are accessible to young people.
Addressing the gender gap
While a high proportion of female respondents hold a positive view of construction careers, only a quarter say they are likely to pursue a career in the sector, compared with 44% of males.
For female respondents, physical work, working outdoors and male dominance were the top three reasons for not wanting to work in construction. Physical work was also the number one reason cited by male respondents for not pursuing a career in the industry, highlighting a lack of awareness of the varied roles available in construction.
Flexible working was the most popular feature offered by employers among both male (37%) and female (48%) respondents.
The survey also found that more than half (55%) of female respondents agree with the statement that construction is not a welcoming sector for women, while 46% of males shared this sentiment.
David Barnes, head of policy and public affairs at CIOB, said: “It’s encouraging to see there remains a lot of positivity towards construction careers, but there is clearly more to do to overcome perceptions around male dominance and site-based hard labour and showcase all the other roles our industry has to offer, including those with strong foundations in digital technology, which in some cases can be primarily office-based.
“We think it is important to repeat this survey on an annual basis, to ensure we are consistently evaluating how the sector is perceived and whether government and industry programmes to bring more people into the sector are having a positive impact.
“We know there are a huge number of opportunities that exist and we want to see what else needs to be done to make it an attractive career proposition for all.”
Parents’ perceptions
A similar survey of parents of 16- to 24-year-olds showed more than three-quarters (75% in 2026 and 79% in 2025) would be supportive of their child working in construction. Just 7% of parents said they would be unsupportive, compared with 6% in 2025.
More than 40% (42% in 2026 and 43% in 2025) of parents surveyed said they would prefer their child to “earn while they learn” instead of going to university, reflecting concerns over the rising costs of university education and lack of graduate opportunities.
Barnes continued: “Our survey also showed that young people can be heavily influenced by their parents when making career choices, so it’s important we don’t lose sight of the important role they hold.
“As an industry we need to shift their perceptions as well as those of their children by demonstrating the construction sector can offer, safe, well-paid and rewarding careers that in many cases don’t require a university education.
“A national campaign to recruit people into the construction sector, like those for teaching and the armed forces is something we’d like government to consider, and our new report outlines how this could be achieved with support from across the industry.”
The April 2026 issue of Construction Management magazine is now available to read in digital format.
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