Construction & the Built Environment Sector Insight

The construction sector in Essex is significant and has been impacted by housing and infrastructure growth across the county. 56,000 people work in the sector locally, with levels far higher than nationally and other parts of the country. A growth in population has increased demand for housing and which has seen concentration in areas like Chelmsford, Basildon, Southend, Colchester and Harlow. This has provided opportunities for the sector alongside developments such as industrial zones and major infrastructure projects, enhanced by Essex’s proximity to London and strategic location along major transportation routes.

There is currently a period of growth, impacting on skills needs which is impacted by numerous infrastructure projects underway or due to commence. These range from transport, utility and housing developments and which will therefore have a broader impact on the area as a whole. The government has recently increased housing targets for Essex, with a target of 14,088 a year. Housing Essex notes that plans for new garden communities are being developed across Essex including Chelmsford Garden Community, Harlow and Gilston Garden Town, Tendring and Colchester Borders Garden Community and Dunton Hills Garden Village. South Essex Local Authorities (SEC) have undertaken joint work on provision of new homes, jobs and infrastructure.

Key transportation projects include the expansion of roads and the modernisation of railway systems. Notable among these is the A120 widening project, which is set to significantly improve road connectivity and traffic flow. Additionally, the Lower Thames Crossing is anticipated to impact on transport and traffic flow, potentially easing congestion and fostering economic growth.

The growing demand for renewable energy sources has also spurred the development of sustainable infrastructure in Essex, which impacts on the construction sector alongside advanced manufacturing and engineering. Solar farms, wind farms, and other eco-friendly projects are already in place or underway. These include Longfield Solar Farm to the north-east of Chelmsford, due to get underway from 2026 and which will be capable of providing enough clean, secure energy to power over 96,000 homes every year. This will therefore contribute significantly to the local energy grid. Five Estuaries is a proposed extension to the existing Galloper Offshore Wind Farm. This would create enough energy each year to power hundreds of thousands of homes and would include up to 79 turbines, located approximately 37km at its closest point off the coast of Suffolk and coming ashore at Sandy Point between Frinton-on-Sea and Holland-on-Sea and Holland-on-Sea in Tendring, Essex.

More sustainable practices are also impacting on the sector, such as energy-efficient buildings, smart grids, and green transportation. This is clearly important for commitments to cleaner and lower carbon practices in all sectors. This has impacted on the sector in Essex, in areas such as eco-friendly materials, energy efficient designs and green building practices. This has also impacted on the skills needs of the sector, with retrofit programmes and ‘green’ skills increasingly coming to the fore. Additionally, renewable energy sources like solar panels are becoming more common as well as practices like rainwater harvesting and green roofs.

The preservation of historical architecture in Essex also impacts on the sector and skills needs. Essex is home to a diverse array of heritage buildings and landmarks and specialised construction techniques are employed to repair and reinforce aging structures. This includes notable examples such as Colchester Castle, Hedingham Castle and Layer Marney Tower. These are often different to modern construction techniques and require expertise in areas such as masonry, woodworking and plastering with an understanding of heritage regulations and materials.

The sector locally and nationally has experienced recruitment challenges, with continued demand given the level of growth happening and due to happen. Keeping up to speed with regulatory requirements and changes and adapting to new practices have also been central issues as well as the fluctuating prices of raw materials which impact on the bottom line.

The sector is seen as a priority by the government, with construction skills seen as critical and with an underpinning role in the infrastructure needed for the growth driving sectors to grow and flourish. It also has an important role in the commitment to Net Zero by 2050. The Industrial Strategy outlines a construction skills package and the ambition to ‘modernise the construction sector, by embedding modern methods of construction (MMC) in government infrastructure projects, investing £625 million to train up to 60,000 more skilled workers, launching a new Infrastructure.’ It also includes plans to develop Technical Excellence Colleges in Construction, expanding construction course provision, extending construction Skills Bootcamps and providing industry placements to help learners get site-ready.

The Industrial Strategy also outlines plans to reform the planning system with a target of over 1.5 million new homes nationally and making planning decisions on 150 major infrastructure projects by the end of this Parliament.

Skills England has also identified construction as one of ten priority sectors (which include the 8 industrial strategy sectors, construction, health and social care). This reiterates the factors that will influence the skills needs such as 1.5 million new homes, the commitment to infrastructure projects and the need for retrofitting existing homes.

Skills England have outlined that there were 2 million workers in the construction sector nationally, with 36% being self-employed (compared to 13% in the overall workforce). Among the roles they cite as being needed are social housing professionals, surveyors, architects, town planning professionals and building inspectors. Construction roles are also relevant to other sectors, such as clean energy and projects such as Sizewell C, offshore wind and carbon capture. Skills England also outlines that ‘industry forecasts the period 2024-28 estimated an additional 251,500 workers would be needed to meet current UK construction output’.

The Construction and Industry Training Board (CITB) has forecast the highest growth in roles including carpenters and joiners, steel erectors and metal workers, plumbing and heating, ventilation and air conditioning. Construction project managers and architects are among the managerial and professional roles set to see growth.

Skills England have also noted a need to improve the diversity of the sector, with women making up 15% of the construction workforce compared to roughly 50% of the overall workforce. They also cite that in 2024, 9% of the construction sector were from ethnic minority backgrounds (15% across all industries).

The sector will continue to be important for Essex given the level of current and planned growth set out above. With higher-than-average developments and housing happening, Essex is also important to the national picture and growth. It will be important to keep pace with the developments in the sector, such as automation, modern methods of construction and modular construction. Government targets around Net Zero will also continue to drive change and skills required. Skills England’s report on construction notes that ‘for example, retrofitting buildings requires the skills system to support learning that teaches not only basic principles, but also a wider understand of existing building physics and dynamics – including airflow and ventilation – so that when insulation is installed or a heating system is replaced the building performance is improved’.

There will continue to be a wide range of roles and opportunities within the sector and with initiatives such as ‘Building a Lasting Legacy’ helping to support students into construction through a collaboration with Essex County Council, construction employers, schools, colleges and universities.

The Essex Construction Alliance has also been established to support and empower the sector locally with regular events such as ‘Essex Build’ and updates

A skilled workforce, able to adapt to changes is clearly critical for the sector, and it has faced challenges in recruiting skilled people to roles. Work is already underway and there is a range of provision locally responding to the sector and its skills needs. As this section has outlined, there are clear links with aspects of provision in areas like manufacturing also. Skills England noted in their construction report that employers would like the option for shorter, modular training. This could also help overcome the key problem nationally with completion and retention on apprenticeships in the sector. The government has also launched a commitment to recruit 100,000 more construction workers per year by the end of the Parliament through a partnership between Jobcentres and the industry to give more people the skills they need.

Locally, there are a range of courses on offer through further and higher education and training providers to support the sector in areas such as carpentry and joinery, painting, brickwork, surveying and construction management. Many colleges have state of the art facilities and equipment, responding to industry need and developments. Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) also offers degrees in areas such as Construction and Site project management. Further links are provided in the skills supply and providers section.

The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has produced a UK Workforce Outlook for 2025-29 and states that ‘the construction industry is facing a crucial choice. To continue to recruit, train and develop its workforce as it has done in recent years, or to change and rethink how it attracts, trains, and retains talent.’ Roles such as surveyors and project managers are projected to grow and for which skills such as leadership, communication and teamwork are important. A CITB report into skills transferability also cited skills such as time management, risk assessment and problem solving as being common in the sector.

Top ten specialist and essential skills advertised in Essex vacancies over the past year (to Summer 2025) helps to illustrate what employers in the construction sector locally are looking for. You can view further information and detail via the dashboard link.

Specialist Skills advertised                                               Essential Skills advertised

·  Construction                                                                         ·  Communication

·  Sub-contracting                                                                  ·  Detail orientated

·  Carpentry                                                                              ·  Management

·  Project management                                                         ·  Customer service

·  Forklift Truck driving                                                           ·  Problem solving

·  Plumbing                                                                              ·  Planning

·  Machinery                                                                            ·  Operations

·  Painting                                                                                ·  Loading and unloading

·  Procurement                                                                       ·  Leadership

·  Electrical Engineering                                                       ·  Organisational skills