Share your experiences on skills challenges in Scotland’s construction industry

This week I caught up with Shetland based FMB Scotland Board member Peter Tait of D.I.T.T. Construction. The CITB’s CEO Tim Balcon visited members in Shetland in June and Peter was keen to share feedback on the issues raised at the visit.

Whilst Island based members face different challenges to those on the mainland, there are common challenges all members have on attracting and retaining talented workers. Workforce and skills matters are consistently the number one problem members report to me wherever in Scotland they are based: from Dunstaffnage to Duns and from Langholm to Lerwick.

Construction workforce outlook for Scotland

Published by the CITB, this labour market intelligence report notes that:

• In 2024 the construction workforce reached 207,000: up 1.8% v 2024.
• 3,590 extra workers are needed per year between 2025-2029.
• The average annual output growth for Scotland’s construction sector between 2024-2029 is 2%.

Bottom line, the long-term challenge of having enough workers to meet demand will persist over the next four years in Scotland.

So what new can be done?

Well this is why Scotland’s Construction Leadership Forum (CLF) are calling on the FMB and others working across different areas of the construction and built environment sector in Scotland, to pull together to rethink and change how workforce and skill shortages can be addressed. There’s a view that we are all working in silos rather than collectively to try and solve these problems.

As was put to me by Elaine Ellis, Skills Planning Manager Construction and Net Zero at Skills Development Scotland.

'Failing to take necessary steps now to secure tomorrow’s workforce will prevent Scotland from creating the infrastructure and built environment it needs to help the country thrive.  

'The CLF is working to establish a Workforce Mission; a new approach that will set out the steps to create the conditions that will bring about the necessary changes to improve collaboration and to support Scotland’s construction sector work collectively to address current and future workforce shortages.'

Short survey to complete

Now to help shape that Mission, the CLF has launched a short survey to gather greater industry insight and it’s important that you as FMB members complete the survey. The survey closes on 31 July.

Please feel free to get in contact with me if you have any questions about the survey or how the FMB engages with the CLF.

Authors

Gordon Nelson

FMB Scotland Hub Director, Federation of Master Builders

Director, Federation of Master Builders Scotland

Gordon has nearly twenty years’ experience of working in membership organisations in Scotland and joined the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in 2014. Prior to this, he worked at the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and for Unilever in business development, membership management and business-to-business marketing roles. Amongst his responsibilities in his role as the Director for FMB Scotland are public affairs, media relations, governance and representing member’s interests to Scottish policy makers and stakeholders within the Scottish construction industry. Gordon is the Secretary of the Cross-Party Group on Construction in the Scottish Parliament, and he is a member of the Scottish Building Standards Futures Board. Gordon represents the FMB on Scotland’s Construction Industry Collective Voice: which is comprised of the leading construction trade and professional bodies. In spring 2023 Gordon was appointed as an industry co-chair of the Construction Leaderships Forum’s (CLF) Transformation Board.

Read lessmore