Fuelled by demand for 245,000 new homes across the UK each year, CITB’s Construction Skills Network (CSN) forecast shows that housing will account for over a third (37%) of the UK's total annual construction output between now and 2018.
While housing has been boosted by Government's 'Help to Buy' scheme, CITB is calling for sustained investment in longer-term infrastructure and industrial projects to secure growth beyond 2015.
Across the whole of the UK, the CSN report paints a welcome picture for an industry that even last year saw 40,000 jobs shed as public non-housing work contracted by 13%.
Over the next five years, performance across the UK construction industry is expected to show:
• Output growth will be strongest in the South West (+3.5%), Wales (+3.4%) and East Anglia (+3%) – all set to perform above national average of 2.2%
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• The North West (+1.3%), the East Midlands (+1.1%) and the West Midlands (+0.8%) will be slower to feel the effects of the return to growth
• Employment growth will be a mixed bag across the UK, with East Anglia at the top end set to see its construction workforce increase by an average 2.0% a year, while the West Midlands is predicted to experience an average reduction of 0.2%
• Private housing will be the chief driver for construction’s growth and the sub-sector will see a 7.0% rise in output in 2014, followed by 5.0% in 2015. On average, it will grow by 4.6% a year to 2018.
James Wates, Chairman of CITB, said: "Clarity and certainty of future projects is an important element of a sustained recovery. That gives employers the confidence to train and to plan.
"The CSN report shows that the economy is turning the corner and the UK construction industry will benefit from that. But growth needs to be sustainable; underpinned by long-term infrastructure projects and continued investment.
"The Government's 'Help-to-Buy' scheme has kick-started demand across the housing market and announcements on nuclear power, rail and roads have the potential to breathe fresh life into infrastructure and industry.
"Alongside this, we'd welcome fresh incentives to encourage house building, and the assurance that major infrastructure projects in the pipeline go ahead as planned.
"Employment in 2018 is predicted to be 196,000 below pre-recession levels, which is why measures must be taken now to ensure growth is sustained over the long-term."
(CD/MH)
