Scotland’s construction industry is expected to grow by a meagre 0.1% over the next five years, trailing all other parts of the UK apart from north-east England.
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), which oversees training around the UK, says the marginal growth north of the border will be driven by the Scottish Government’s target to build 50,000 new affordable homes by 2021.
Social housing is forecast to grow by 3.9% annually over the 2018-2022 period, with private housing construction increasing by 2.9%.
The Countesswells development in Aberdeen is highlighted in CITB’s latest Industry Insights report as one of the projects helping the modest expansion overall.
Job count for the industry in Scotland is expected to decline by 0.7% annually over the five-year period.
CITB predicts UK-wide construction output growth of 1.3%, down on its 1.7% forecast in 2017, but “not dramatic when framed by the turbulent 12 months we’ve seen”.
An extra 158,000 construction workers are required to meet demand by 2022, the report says.
According to CITB, Scotland still needs 2,130 new workers a year on average.
Ian Hughes, partnership director at CITB Scotland, said the growth forecast for housing north of the border was encouraging.
“There remain excellent, rewarding career opportunities in construction,” he added.
