Engineering construction workforce in Yorkshire and Humber to grow by almost 40%
23/07/2025
New research published reveals that the engineering construction industry (ECI) workforce in Yorkshire and the Humber could increase by 39% in the next five years.
The ECI
plays a crucial role in the UK meeting its net zero ambitions, spanning sectors
that focus on the construction, maintenance and decommissioning of heavy
industry, including oil and gas, nuclear, power generation, renewables,
chemicals, carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and water treatment.
The
Engineering Construction Industry Training Board’s (ECITB) Labour
Forecasting Tool (LFT) provides insights into workforce numbers across
regions and sectors, predicting trends and potential future demand for workers
in the industry.
The tool,
which was first
launched in November 2023, has been updated using findings from the ECITB
2024 Workforce Census and publicly stated timescales on 3,000 active and future
ECI projects across Great Britain.
The ECITB’s
latest forecast states that the size of the ECI workforce in Yorkshire and the
Humber could grow by more than 2,300 by 2030, with mechanical fitters,
pipefitters and scaffolders among the roles most in demand.
The overall
picture of future labour needs in Britain highlights that the size of the ECI
workforce could total more than 135,000 workers in five years’ time to meet
demand, an increase of 19% on the current number of workers in industry.
The tool
previously stated that demand across industry would peak in 2028, but this has
now shifted to 2030 due to delays in some projects coinciding with other
planned activity, as well as a potential wave of retirements in key roles.
The revised
predictions were possible thanks to a record
response rate from industry employers for the latest iteration of the ECITB Workforce Census.
The ECITB Workforce Census 2024
offered a comprehensive overview of the ECI workforce in Yorkshire and the
Humber, having gathered data on more than 6,400 workers in the region, covering
distribution across sectors, demographic trends, hiring challenges and business
opportunities.
ECITB Chief
Executive Andrew Hockey said: “A key objective of the Foundations pillar of our
Leading
Industry Learning strategy is to produce impactful labour market intelligence to
enable data-driven decision-making.
“The
significant Census response rate enabled the ECITB to provide more precise,
up-to-date data for the benefit of industry. It allows us to improve the LFT to help make
better predictions on future workforce trends and labour demands in Yorkshire
and the Humber.
“The updates
to the LFT reinforce the scale of the challenges facing industry that were
outlined in our Workforce
Census Report, which revealed that 75% of ECI employers in Yorkshire and
the Humber are experiencing challenges hiring workers.
“It also
highlighted an upcoming wave of possible retirements, with the share of workers
in the region over 60 sitting at 16.3%.
“We
recognise that addressing skills shortages in the West Midlands requires a
collaborative, multi-agency approach that includes employers, governments,
training providers and the ECITB.
“So, we’re
calling on all of industry to work together to help increase the pool of people
joining the ECI, while continuing to train and upskill existing workers.
“By
investing in the workforce, the industry has a fighting chance of closing the
skills gap and ensuring the ECI has the skilled workforce it needs both for now
and the future.”
Find out
more about the ECITB Labour Forecasting Tool at:
