Nearly 7 in 10 UK adults would not want a career in construction, survey

According to new research, 68% of UK adults would not consider a career in the construction sector, associating the industry with words like "dirty", "strenuous" and "boring".

The survey, conducted by YouGov, of a sample of 2,083 nationally representative respondents, commissioned for the second year by construction industry not-for-profit Deconstruction, frames the size of the challenge the entire construction industry is facing in attracting fresh talent and a new generation at a time when there is a shortage of labour in key parts of the supply chain.

According ot the results, while 60% of men would not consider having a career in the sector, the figure rises to 76% of women. In addition, only 2% of women say they would be impressed if someone introduced to them for the first time were a construction worker.

When it comes to word association about the construction, the YouGov data demonstrates that attitudes remain entrenched, with ‘dirty’ and ‘strenuous’ holding the most prominent position across two years of research results:

Respondents to the YouGov research have stated that they would be more likely to recommend working in construction:

• If it was a career that paid more - 22%
• If it offered more high skill roles - 19%
• If construction was a more welcoming place for people of different physical abilities/races/genders - 17%

This, according to Deconstruction is where the industry can start to make a new start.

For example, median salary in the construction sector is £42,427 against the national median of £34,963, so the construction sector as a whole may not need to shy away from a discussion on salaries.

Part of this increased performance on salaries comes from the fact that the sector is much more diverse than many might believe. While only some contracting jobs are likely to be visible to the public, there are many less visible roles within most construction projects and organisations that are ‘high skill’.

There is a lot of effort being applied to make the sector more inclusive, and to inform the public of this. While many particularly larger business in the space have made great strides, initiatives like the Construction Inclusion Coalition are working to share the latest successful initiatives on diversity and inclusion.

Deconstruction founder Ryan Jones says the construction industry faces a paradox that needs a new approach: “The 2023 and 2024 Deconstruction research shows that the UK general public knows the country needs investment in new housing, schools, hospitals, and major infrastructure – all projects that are delivered by the construction industry.

“Our 2024 report, Construction Deconstructed, shows that there has been no movement in the figures on that.

“However, attitudes to actively working in the sector, or what the general public think that working in the sector entails, shows we have to take a different approach to win hearts and minds to prove that the sector can provide a rewarding career for a wide range of people.

“My rally cry is to not give up hope. Every challenge uncovered in this year’s research can be overcome, but first we need to be ‘market oriented’ and understand what our audience thinks of construction. In many cases what the general public think of construction is inaccurate, which means we have a straightforward job to turn these things around, but we must act.”