Why There Will Always Be Roles for Great People in Construction
A slowdown has hit the UK construction industry, shedding some doubt on last year’s upbeat predictions of a construction boom over the next decade.
The UK construction sector hit a low in February, on the back of fears of a weakening economy and Brexit concerns.
On the upside there are significant large scale projects ongoing in many areas across the UK.
In Liverpool the new Baltic Triangle will be home to a £30m construction project of upmarket apartments. In London new residential builds and also huge developments such as HS2, Crossrail and Battersea power station, are creating opportunities for hundreds of skilled construction workers.
So what does this mean for construction recruiters and their candidates?
The truth is this: There will always be roles for great people in construction.
Regardless of whether the current slowdown is a blip, the construction industry is a hugely diverse employment sector with massive career opportunities for strong employees. Despite the slowing rate of some building projects, there is still a notable skills shortage in the construction industry that is predicted to carry on for many years.
This gives an amazing opportunity for those construction candidates holding specialist skills, as they will always be highly sought-after by switched on recruiters and their clients.
The construction industry is as old as human civilisation, so unlike many other sectors that haven’t stood the test of time, a construction career is still an excellent choice for new graduates or those seeking a career change- particularly if they choose their specialist field carefully and then make every effort to succeed.
As for recruiters operating in the construction sector, the slowdown may mean that you will need to cast your net wider, both for clients and quality candidates.
You’re fortunate in the regard that the skills shortage is still very much in force, meaning that you will always be able to place good candidates— even if the number of overall vacancies and construction projects are currently lower than expected at present.
The power of your pipeline
All high billing recruiters know what is important to consistently achieve: A strong pipeline of both candidates and clients.
Remember your first billing manager barking on about business development and filing your pipeline? Though their coaching skills might not have been perfect the truth is they were right.
A continued focus on BD and filling your pipeline has a compound effect on your results. Like anything in life; effort will build towards results. There is a great book here for those of you interested in developing yourself that lays out how it all works; it’s called The compound effect by Darren Hardy.
Building a strong talent pipeline is of ultimate importance in the current climate for all construction recruiters; this is no time to be complacent by relying on your current crop of candidates to keep your billing numbers assured in the future.
As the construction industry shakes off this temporary downturn (the uncertainty about Brexit has put a lot of projects on hold that are likely to get going again after the referendum), it’s now the perfect time to position yourself as the construction recruiter with access to ALL the top talent. As recruiters we all know having access to the key candidates in any sector makes us in demand.
Until next time,
Cheryl