November 2023
Featured in this insight: Construction
A recent survey has found that nearly 70% of adults in the UK would not consider a career in construction: A survey by YouGov has found that 69% of UK adults would not consider a career in construction, with 77% of full-time students aged between 18–24 saying the same thing.
The survey was carried out by YouGov, who asked over 2,000 members of the public their views on the construction industry. The research was carried out for the campaign Deconstruction, which is aimed at improving the perceptions of the construction industry.
Further findings revealed that over 50% (52%) of UK adults perceive the construction sector as ‘dirty’, with 70% viewing the sector as strenuous. Additionally, a quarter of adults said they think the sector is unsafe, a key factor for why many are uninterested in working in the construction industry.
To add to these findings, just under a quarter (20%) of the young respondents surveyed mentioned that the low pay in the construction industry is a key factor to why they don’t want to work in the sector. This is despite the construction industry’s national salary being above the UK average.
Ryan Jones, Deconstruction founder, said this about the findings: “Within the sector, we all know that there is so much more to construction, with digital innovation, new technology, and many examples of high-quality engineering and building design improving the environment we live in. But we have to tell that story to a new generation, and we have to do it now.”
View more of our sector specific insights: Construction
