The Construction Skills Network report, the industry’s annual skills forecast prepared by CITB-ConstructionSkills, has input from employers across the UK and paints a stark picture of 2012. It revealed 60,000 lost jobs, a 9% fall in output and the sector tipping back deep into recession.
However, recruitment until the end of 2017 showed wood trades and interior fit-out occupations requiring an additional 3,980, the largest increase across all construction jobs.
"Despite the gloomy figures for the sector as a whole, it is clear that the joinery and woodworking industry cannot be complacent and must seize the opportunity to grow. These figures show we need more people coming into our trade to meet demand. We are helping to promote this with our latest social media campaign to get more people interested in joining up with the joiners," said British Woodworking Federation WITForum manager Dave Campbell.
The latest report said construction suffered a 20% downturn in public sector housing and non-housing, a 5% drop in private housing, 10% in commercial and a15% downturn in infrastructure.
Prospects for the next five years showed nearly every sector of the industry continuing to struggle with only private housing, RMI and industrial predicted to achieve anything like consistent growth. Average annual growth is forecast at 0.8%.
"Construction found itself at the heart of a ‘perfect storm’ in 2012," said Judy Lowe, deputy chairman of CITB-ConstructionSkills.
"Worryingly, the outlook doesn’t look much better. Indeed, we don’t anticipate the industry returning to its former levels until at least 2022 – meaning this will be one of the most difficult periods for construction on record."
