Why is There a Job Shortage in the Construction Industry?
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed that there are currently over 30,000 jobs on offer in the construction sector. Since the pandemic began, the shortage of skilled applicants in the construction industry has reached its highest in twenty years.
The ONS revealed that out of all industries, construction had seen the highest rate of pay growth annually. But, this is a stark contrast to the beginning of the pandemic when construction workers took a higher pay cut than any other industry. Though the wages are increasing and rightfully so, job vacancies still aren’t being applied too.
As the restrictions caused by COVID-19 are slowly coming to an end, the world is experiencing a ‘building boom.’ Many of the postponed construction plans are now going ahead on top of the need for new housing.
But to keep up with the high demand for new buildings, more construction workers need to be hired. This is becoming a difficult task, as many workers who left the country to return home for the national lockdown have not returned. Brexit has also impacted this sector, with many migrant workers returning home due to growing uncertainty in the UK. This shortage is of great concern to the construction sector as it will struggle to deliver projects or achieve targets.
Employers are struggling to find qualified candidates that can help their businesses get back on track. As this is a nationwide issue, the competition for hiring experienced candidates is tough. As well as this, with fewer available candidates’ smaller businesses may find themselves falling behind. In the current competitive climate, organisations need to ensure their job advertisements are effective.
The construction industry has a lack of younger workers and female workers, with over 20% of employees in their fifties and only 14% being female. With this ageing workforce set to retire within the coming years, companies should be targeting younger audiences when searching for recruits. If you have an engaging advertising campaign that only targets people with the skills you need, you will see an increase in applications.
How Crunch Can Help.
When we teamed up with Blaby District Council, they were trying to hire two Grounds Maintenance Operatives. The Council highlighted that their previous job advertisements weren’t attracting many applicants, and those that it was attracting lacked the required skills for the role.
After working with us, we managed to hire both positions in less than four weeks. We targeted people who had a relevant job title or an interest in the area that lived within a commutable distance from the Blaby District Council.
In the end, the results were:
- 4,551 clicks.
- 138,598 impressions.
- 3.28% click-through rate.
We could do the same for your construction business. With targeted and engaging ads, you will only be attracting the top talent in a time where it’s sorely needed. We are currently working with logistics companies suffering the same skill shortage as your sector and the results are amazing, 300 applications in only 3 weeks!
Contact Us.
So, are you ready to try a new digital marketing strategy for your recruitment campaigns? Get in touch to find out more!
