Building Boom—And Barriers

Skills Shortages Are Complicating the Construction Industry's Growth

Article Cost Management, Resource Management, Construction 1 October 2017

PM Network

How to cite this article:

Building Boom—And Barriers: Skills Shortages Are Complicating the Construction Industry's Growth (2017). PM Network, 31(10), 7.

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The construction industry is on strong footing, but skills shortages and rising costs are complicating the project landscape. Increased productivity remains the way forward.

58%

of urban construction markets are warm, hot or overheating in 2017*.

55%

were warm, hot or overheating in 2016*.

*A market that has a high number of construction projects and high prices

80%

of advanced economies saw construction costs rise faster than the overall inflation rate.

24 out of 43

surveyed construction markets are suffering skills shortages in 2017—up from 20 markets last year.

And the construction industry is lagging well behind annual productivity improvements seen in other sectors during the last two decades:

Source: International Construction Market Survey 2017, Turner & Townsend, 2017; Re-Inventing Construction: A Route to Higher Productivity, McKinsey, 2017

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Building Boom—And Barriers

Skills Shortages Are Complicating the Construction Industry's Growth

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