The critical solution to a skills shortage
The drive to encourage and retain women in construction roles is a critical solution to the skills shortage and a topic of enormous importance to the industry at large.
One only has to consider the 300,000 new homes that are to be built each year, and the need for more than a million extra workers by 2020, to realise the enormity of the challenges ahead. Figures suggest that women are expected to make up more than a quarter of that workforce by …..
….. 2020, but more can and should be done, with some experts believing the figure will be more like half of the workforce.
The situation is improving with wages rising, albeit slowly, and the proportion of women in senior roles has almost trebled since 2005, providing some hope that the misconceptions around construction being a gender-specific industry are at last being removed. But, a survey by Randstad in 2018 discovered that out of 1,200 people that have experienced gender discrimination (33%), 60% were women, and more than eight in ten women feel left out and excluded from male-oriented conversations and social events. Not only are these figures disturbing, but the survey revealed 43% of organisations do not actively monitor pay equality.
Encouragingly, there are parts of the industry that have recognised the urgent need to address these inequalities, and London Build 2018 is a part of that drive, partly by hosting a Women in Construction Networking Event for the last two years.
Partnering with the National Association of Women in Construction, London Build is again organising this free-to-attend event, offering the chance for professional individuals operating in this market to network and feel inspired. You will be able to hear from a panel of established female experts discussing the untapped opportunities for women, get any of your questions answered, and network.
The event takes place from 10am to 12 noon on 24th October at London Build, and you can find further details here.
