The construction recruitment team at XCL have seen an increase in the number of construction job vacancies becoming available over the last couple of months, and looking at a recent industry report, this seems to have been a recurring pattern across the UK.
According to the latest Construction PMI from IHS Markit / CIPS, November saw solid growth across the UK construction sector, with the number of new orders coming in increasing at a steady pace. In fact, in addition to this being the eighth consecutive month of growth, November saw the strongest rise in business activity since July.
This increased activity was driven predominantly by the residential building segment - which reclaimed its position as the best performing area from civil engineering - with the rise in house building at its strongest for three months. However, there were also sustained increases in commercial work and civil engineering, indicating stronger performance across construction as a whole.
And the recent rise in new business has continued to offer good news to jobseekers, with improved client demand fuelling growth in employment numbers.
The Construction PMI revealed that construction staffing levels have now risen for six months in a row, leading to job creation in November being at its highest since December 2015.
Tim Moore, Economics Associate Director at IHS Markit said of the recent employment increase: "Higher levels of new work were recorded for the sixth month running in November, which resulted in a robust and accelerated rise in staffing numbers. The latest upturn in employment was the fastest for almost three years. A number of construction firms noted that greater demand for staff had led to upward pressure on salaries in November.”
While Duncan Brock, Group Director at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply commented: "Levels of new work improved, and employment numbers increased at their fastest rate since December 2015, as projects finally started after sustained periods of delay.”
With construction firms across the country enjoying an uplift in new projects and actively looking for new staff to complete them, if you’re looking for a new job, there seems to be no better time to apply than right now.
XCL are experts at helping skilled and experienced construction workers and tradespeople find their ideal jobs - from short-term contracts to years-long developments. We cover every aspect of the industry, so are sure to have a role that is suitable for you.
To learn about how XCL can help you to find your next job, or to hear about our current job vacancies, send a copy of your CV to info@xclgr.com.