Skills missing in increasingly tight labour market

Researchers conclude that the standard of both the existing labour force and new entrants to the industry has resulted in an industry manifestly unable to meet its clients' requirements.

In the current edition of Construction Management and Economics, Andy Dainty and Stephen Ison of Loughorough University with Geoff Briscoe of Coventry University, reveal that established workers and new entrants do not seem to have sufficient skills to carry out the work.

The research, carried out by a team from Loughborough and Coventry Universities, looks at the supply of skilled labour from the point of view of SMEs in the UK construction industry.

The findings reveal a complex interplay of factors that have combined to shape the industry's skills crisis in recent years.

This has important, practical implications for firms attempting to operate in increasingly tight labour market conditions.

The primary concern of small construction firms was with the quality of skills available in the labour market.

The researchers conclude that the standard of both the existing labour force and new entrants to the industry has resulted in an industry manifestly unable to meet its clients' requirements.

Full details can be found in the current issue of Construction Management and Economics, Volume 23 Number 4, published by Taylor and Francis.

For further details regarding the research, contact Dr Andy Dainty, Department of Civil and Building Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 3TU, UK Tel: 01509 228742 Email a.r.j.dainty@lboro.ac.uk.

For further details regarding articles in the journal Construction Management and Economics, contact Dr Will Hughes, Editor, Dept Construction Management and Engineering, University of Reading, PO Box 219, Reading, RG6 6AW, UK, Tel 0118- 931 8201, Fax 0118-931 3856, Email w.p.hughes@reading.ac.uk.

For further information about subscriptions contact Nicola McArthur, 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 4RN, UK Email: Nicola.mcarthur@tandf.co.uk or visit www.tandf.co.uk/journals.

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