Demolition leader launches labour shortage survey

(PHOTO: Rye Demolition)

Launched by UK-based Rye Demolition, a leading provider of demolition, remediation and enabling works, and the sector’s leading publication Demolition and Recycling International (D&Ri) magazine, the new review has been developed to understand the reality of the talent and skills shortage and encourages all stakeholders from around the world and across the sector to participate via an anonymous online survey.

Jonathan Cox, Marketing Director of Rye Group, said: “The war for talent is rife throughout many industry sectors within the UK, but is particularly prominent within construction and demolition.

“Understanding the severity of this problem will not only be key for educating the sector, but also for bringing about positive change through the suggestion and implementation of new and exciting initiatives.

“We now look forward to working closely with the team at Demolition and Recycling International to launch the survey and compile the industry report, and strongly encourage as many industry representatives to participate as possible to ensure an accurate representation of data and results.”

Click here to fill in the survey and help your industry recruit skilled workers

In addition, the review will seek to engage young people from schools and colleges, together with ex-servicemen and women and other industry professionals to understand the perceptions of the industry and its barriers to entry.

Once the research has concluded, a full report detailing key findings will be issued, together with insight and initiatives that stakeholders can implement to overcome growing recruitment challenges.

This review comes as the Construction Industry Training Board [CITB] has predicted an extra 225,000 workers will be required to meet UK construction demand by 2027, showcasing the sheer shortage of talent throughout the sector. 

The lack of skilled labour has been a growing global concern for some time. This week, the National Demolition Association in the United States urged Congress to reinstate the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), to help demolition and construction sector employers recruit and retain skilled workers.

Headquartered in Bedfordshire, Rye Group is fast becoming an industry leading voice on the skills agenda and later this year the company will present on the same topic at the World Demolition Summit this October in Toronto, Canada.

To submit your responses to the industry survey, click here.