Michael Cirstean, Managing Director of Dynamic Group: 'The Construction industry needs to support the living wage to make a career in construction more appealing for the younger generation.'
With the construction industry experiencing a resurgence in growth, and more than a million homes estimated to be built by 2021, it is more important than ever that the sector has the skilled workforce it needs.
The construction industry is experiencing a skills shortage due to the impact of an ageing workforce, Brexit and losing younger workers to competing sectors. The retirement rate within the existing workforce is continually increasing with 22% of the current workforce aged over 50 and 15% in their 60's. Brexit is also affecting skilled people from the EU who are leaving the UK due to immigration issues or fears of how Brexit may affect them. Around 7% of EU nationals work in construction in the UK, a higher percentage than the EU nationals working in all other industries in the UK. Simultaneously, younger people perceive other industries to be more appealing due to competitive pay, benefits and perception of stability.
From the 6,821 Living Wage Employers, 389 are companies within the construction industry. Dynamic Group has been one of the first recruitment and labour providers within construction and rail to join the Living Wage Accreditation. The accreditation process was straightforward as Dynamic Group was already paying above the Living Wage at national and London levels. For us, a living wage payment is not only the right thing to do, it also helps us with retention and engagement. Becoming a Living Wage Employer was a way to ensure we are running our business with credibility and respect for our staff and clients. We have also found that the Living Wage has:
- Enhanced Dynamic Group's reputation as an employer.
- Differentiated Dynamic Group's from others in the same industry.
- Increased commitment and engagement of staff and candidates.
- Improved recruitment figures.
COVID-19 has brought a diverse range of challenges for everyone, our staff have highlighted how important it has been for their mental health to have job security and how to be rewarded for the effort they put in makes them happier at work. We want to show that we are a great company to do business with and that we believe in more than just the pound, so it actually works very nicely with our strategy to say 'come and work for us' because candidates, contractors and staff always recommend their friends to come and work with us too. As a result, we are proud to work with engaged, competent and talented people that share our goal to provide the best service to our clients.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how important essential workers are, the UK infrastructure sector highly depends on its workforce to build the nation. Now more than ever is important to reinforce the living wage as a key benefit to retain and attract new talent.
Based in London and with offices in Londonderry, Lasi and the Netherlands, Dynamic Group is a recruitment agency and contingent labour supplier for the Rail and Construction sectors in the UK and Europe. Established in 2011, we pride ourselves in our values of fairness, inclusion and respect. We believe collaboration is key for success and we work closely with our clients to find the best candidates for their projects and with our candidates to find the best jobs for them.