In recent years, it’s not often been possible to talk about the supply of any building materials without including the word ‘shortages’.

Finally that seems to have changed as it’s now being reported that, with a slowdown in housing developments, stocks of bricks and some other construction materials are on the rise.

In this week’s blog, we’re reporting on what industry leaders are saying about product demand and supply in the sector.

Over a quarter of a million extra construction workers may be needed by 2026, according to the latest Construction Skills Network report. That’s over 53,000 new recruits per year for the next five years!

Published annually by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), the report looks into the UK’s construction economy and makes key predictions about what will happen in terms of labour/ skills needs over the coming years.

Check out this week’s blog for more details of what this year’s report had to say plus what it means for the sector and our region.

Today is International Women’s Day, a day in which people across the globe come together to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness of issues affecting women and girls, and take action which promotes greater equality.

This year, the campaign has the theme of #BreakTheBias. So, taking this as our inspiration, in this week’s blog, we’re looking at some of the key issues which affect women who enter the historically male-dominated trades within the built environment. Read on for some startling truths!

The construction sector continued its trend of recovery during December 2020, thanks largely to a sharp rise in house-building along with strong order books and new business wins on projects that had been deferred since the beginning of the pandemic. While that’s good news, stretched supply chains and delays at UK ports means our industry has simultaneously faced purchasing prices that have risen at a pace not been seen for nearly two years!