Could Crossrail be creating skills shortages in parts of Britain? Recruiter Randstad thinks so
Crossrail could be to blame for skills shortages in certain parts of Britain, according to a new report out today from Randstad CPE, the specialist recruiter.
Randstad says that more than a quarter of Crossrail’s workforce is drawn from regions more than 30 miles away from the project, with one in 20 moving more than 100 miles to work on the project.
The recruiter said that the well-paying jobs – tunnelling engineers earn an average of £25,000 per year while project managers can make around £51,000 annually – are attracting top talent to London while leaving other parts of the country with skills shortages. Randstad called the divide a “competence chasm”.
Commenting on the report, Randstad managing director Owen Goodhead said: “Britain’s construction and engineering skills gap has been a dilemma for decades. But now it is biting.”
“Crossrail is just one major project, and the effect is felt sharply across the UK,” he said, “Employers want the right person for the right job – absolutely the correct approach – but this is unleashing a spiral of competition. Skills shortages are here to stay for the foreseeable future, and candidates looking for construction and engineering jobs are benefitting.”