Infrastructure Is Back on the Agenda — But Where Is the Talent Coming From?

For anyone who has worked in UK construction and civil engineering for any length of time, the current infrastructure pipeline is impressive.

But there is an obvious question that deserves more attention: who is going to deliver all of it?

The latest UK Infrastructure Pipeline contains £718 billion of planned investment across 734 projects. Energy alone accounts for £365 billion of planned investment over the next decade.

That represents an enormous opportunity for the construction and civil engineering industry.

It also represents an enormous workforce challenge.

Government estimates suggest that delivering the projects currently in the pipeline will require an average annual construction and infrastructure workforce of between 629,000 and 706,000 people over the next five years.

The issue is not just numbers.

Major infrastructure projects require experienced people who understand complex programmes, commercial risk, procurement, stakeholder management, health and safety, engineering and delivery.

Those skills take years to develop.

There is also an interesting geographical dimension. Infrastructure investment is not confined to London and the South East. Recent ONS figures show significant infrastructure construction activity across Scotland, the North West, South West and East of England, among other regions.

That could create opportunities for professionals who have traditionally regarded London as the centre of the market.

It may also encourage companies to think differently about recruitment.

If the same relatively small pool of experienced professionals is being approached by multiple businesses, simply offering another job title and a modest salary increase is unlikely to be enough.

People increasingly want to know what they are actually moving towards.

What projects will they be working on? Who will they be working for? What responsibility will they have? What is the culture of the organisation? Where could the role take them in three or five years?

Those questions are particularly important for senior professionals. At a certain point in a career, a move is no longer simply about changing employers. It is about deciding what you want the next chapter of your career to look like.

With the UK entering a period of significant infrastructure investment, that decision may become increasingly important.

There is clearly going to be plenty of work.

The real challenge may be finding enough of the right people to deliver it.