Networks and systems are ageing, placed under additional pressure by the impacts of climate change. While the problems are evident, solutions are hampered by a skills gap that continues to grow. In the first of this two-part series, we’ll explore the current state of the Civil Engineering sector, delving deeper into the factors that are a cause for concern.

 

 

 

Estimates place the volume of engineering workers set to retire within the next five years anywhere between a fifth and one-quarter of the current workforce. The resulting vacuum of knowledge and expertise leaving the industry is not being met with an influx of fresh talent.

 

Several factors have weakened the size and strength of the talent networks available to Civil Engineering organisations.

 

Many point to an education system in need of significant overhaul. While the share of students entering into engineering degrees has climbed to 16% across the globe, there are fears that this is not being complimented by vocational education and training.

 

What has emerged is a ‘missing middle’, as a decline in technical qualifications results in a lack of ‘work-ready’, highly skilled individuals.

 

With a shortage in supply, competition for skills has become fierce. And the relentless pace of digital and technological transformation adds further complexity. Organisations across an array of sectors are seeking out skills relating to emerging technologies, including cybersecurity, advanced analytics and Machine Learning.

 

Faced with a finite supply of STEM graduates, Civil Engineering organisations are not the only sector attempting to strengthen their pipeline. The high transferability of skills also attracts interest from leading consultancy firms and innovative tech companies, often able to lean into more attractive Employer Value Propositions in a bid to ‘win’ the battle for expertise.

 

The widening gap in skills is a business-critical concern for the Civil Engineering sector. According to Deloitte, 52% of Engineering and Construction executives indicate that their organisation is facing ‘a severe labour and talent shortage on the job site’, with notable ramifications on both productivity and profit.

 

 

 

But it’s not just the age of the workforce that’s a cause for concern.

 

Across the globe, Governments are pledging significant investments into their infrastructure, ensuring adequate capacity and capability of existing systems, as well as combatting the deterioration of older networks or structures nearing the end of their service life.

 

Technological advancements have transformed how we communicate and collaborate, with a growing number of countries reliant on digital communications. In the UK alone, it is estimated that by 2050 the population will reach 75 million, with an estimated GDP of £3.7 trillion. The dual increase in both population and economic activity is predicted to necessitate ‘faster internet connections with greater capacity’.

 

The pace of innovation is putting pressure onto legacy infrastructure systems that weren’t designed with such intense connectivity in mind. Facilitating the implementation of next-generation technology, such as 5G networks and ultra-fast broadband, will require significant amounts of land and road networks to be dug up and subsequently resurfaced.

 

Climate change is also having an acute impact across vital infrastructure. The variability in weather is prompting climate-change induced stressors, including road and bridge buckling, the flooding of below or near-sea level transportation links (including subway systems and airlines) and increased pipeline failure rates.

 

Water-carrying infrastructure face a number of threats. Increased and decreased precipitation, higher sea levels and rising temperatures each have a knock-on effect, placing ‘significant stress’ onto our water network assets.

 

 

 

Adam McGlead, UKI Director for Civil and Infrastructure here at Hays comments:

 

 

 

At a time when the Civil Engineering sector has a critical role to play in supporting the growth plans of organisations and countries across the globe, a shortage of critical skills and expertise is threatening to pull the plug on projects before they have even begun.

 

In Part 2 of this blog series, our experts will explore the strategies that forward-thinking organisations are deploying in a bid to meet demand today, and bridge critical skills gaps tomorrow.

 

Ready to tackle your capability gaps? Get in touch with the team at Enterprise Solutions to discuss how we can support the evolution of your workforce strategy.