FMB and CIOB’s UK survey shows skilled-trades shortages disrupting many respondent firms, while Randstad’s global job-posting analysis points to rising demand for construction roles. These findings describe different populations and measures: one records firms’ reported experiences; the other tracks postings, not hires.
What FMB and CIOB found in the UK
The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) surveyed 493 businesses for their State of Trade Survey H2 2025. The survey covers July–December 2025 and includes FMB members, CIOB companies and businesses outside both organizations across the UK. It is a survey of respondents, not a census of the construction workforce.
In that survey, 72% of firms said a lack of skilled tradespeople affected them. Respondents also reported several consequences associated with those shortages:
- 49% said jobs were delayed.
- 30% said they had paused expansion plans.
- 22% said jobs had been cancelled.
These are reported effects, not evidence that every firm faced the same problem or that shortages were the sole cause of every delay or cancellation. The survey also recorded positive workload, enquiry and employment indicators, alongside slower momentum and cost pressures; the shortage figures should be read within that mixed business picture.
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What Randstad’s global analysis adds
In a press release published on 18 March 2026, Randstad said it examined 50 million job postings to assess role growth between 2022 and 2026. Its analysis found construction-role postings increased by 30% over that period. The release also reported increases for welders and electricians.
That figure concerns job postings in Randstad’s analysis, not jobs filled, total employment, or a UK-only trend. It therefore signals growing advertised demand in the analysis rather than measuring how many additional workers entered construction or how many vacancies remained unfilled.
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Why the figures should not be compared directly
| Measure | FMB and CIOB | Randstad |
|---|---|---|
| Geography | UK | Global analysis |
| What was examined | 493 survey responses from businesses | 50 million job postings |
| What the result describes | Firms’ reported experience of shortages and business effects | Change in postings for roles, including construction |
| Time period | Survey covers July–December 2025 | Posting growth compares 2022 with 2026 |
The sources complement each other but answer different questions. The FMB/CIOB survey indicates that shortages were affecting many participating UK firms and gives examples of business disruption. Randstad’s analysis points to increased advertised demand across its global data. Neither result, by itself, measures the scale of the entire UK labour shortage or establishes its cause.
What the organizations propose
FMB: practical training for construction
FMB’s skills and training campaign argues for practical training and a skills system shaped around the realities of construction work. This is the organization’s proposed response to skills challenges, not proof that a particular course or policy will close the gap.
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Randstad: greater investment in skills
Randstad CEO Sander van ’t Noordende has called for investment in education, skilling and training, arguing that skilled trades are becoming more specialized and technologically demanding. The company links demand to infrastructure work, including projects associated with data centres and power grids. This is Randstad’s interpretation and policy argument; its posting analysis does not test the effectiveness of a specific training intervention.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Historical context from FMB
FMB’s Q4 2024 survey reported that 42% of its members said skilled-trade shortages caused job delays (State of Trade Survey Q4 2024). That is a separate, earlier survey result. It provides context for FMB members’ experiences at that time, but should not be combined with or treated as directly comparable to the H2 2025 figures.
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