Shortage of Skilled Construction Labour

This blog mini-series discusses the six most common Architects, Engineers, Construction, Operation (AECO) industry's pain points, in 2021 in the United Kingdom, and how digital transformation can help overcome these challenges. The following blogs are published as follows:

1. Shortage of skilled construction labour. Monday 8/02/2021.
2. Poor communication and lack of information. Friday 12/02/2021.
3. Project management and collaboration. Friday 19/02/2021.
4. Low productivity. Friday 26/03/2021.
5. Inefficient data collection and handling. Friday 5/03/2021.
6. Building future-proof processes. Friday 12/03/2021.

1) Shortage of Skilled Construction Labour

Shortage of skilled labour and subcontractors continues to be a significant problem in the construction world. It is exacerbated in the UK by the Brexit and coronavirus crisis. In the third quarter of 2020, there were 127,000 EU-born workers in the industry, down from 176,000 recorded in the same period in 2019. The 28% drop was greater than the 7% fall in total employment in construction, according to data collected by the Construction Products Association. The consequences of this issue are that projects are delayed, cashflow is eroded, and profits are decreasing. One of the most effective ways to tackle this issue is through automation as explained below.

What could be automated?

• Repetitive tasks on site
• Project management processes
• HR management processes
• Inspection processes
• Mobile data

What solutions Driving Vision could propose to help you?

Driving Vision analyses your current operation to propose a solution, including new technologies that fit with your current workflow, introducing the basics required before fully embracing BIM and automation, allowing your people to work collaboratively and interdependently whilst integrating your processes through automated, transparent and seamless systems.

Here are some examples of what we look at:

• HR software (Training, Expenses, HR handbook, Reward mechanism).
• Construction project management software
• Cameras fixed on helmets’ workers to capture data when work progresses and to transmit videos, at regular intervals, to the office for inspection.
• Online and Virtual Reality training courses

How will these solutions help you to mitigate the risks?

• Mobile device data-driven strategies help you to manage the existing workforce efficiently and retain talents.
• Health and safety training, in virtual reality, help you to be compliant with ISO 45001 and to reduce the risk of accidents and absenteeism.
• On site-specific training needs, delivered online, including videos and practical handling of difficult tasks, improves the skills of your workforce and help you to be compliant with ISO 9001 (quality).
• Easy business expense reporting features for employees avoid unnecessary trips to the office.
• Expense management eases the cash flow, improve the profitability of the project and motivates teams as they are reimbursed quickly.
• Project manager, architects and or engineers review and analyse data in the office, send inspection checklist to the site manager which uses them on his daily site tour to carry the inspection. This eliminates the need to send inspectors on-site and avoid lengthy and costly reworks and material waste leading to less overtime, happier employees, cost reduction and less cash outlay.
• The reward process, in the HR management system, will help you, whenever your crew meets a goal, to celebrate their success. This will make your workers feel appreciated and eager to push forward. Rewarding and valuing what your people are doing reinforces the importance of their contribution to the success of the project. People feeling valued are generally not looking for greener pastures.

If you want to digitalise your business painlessly, see what Driving Vision can do for you:

Implementing BIM can be daunting, but Driving Vision is here to help you at the pace you are comfortable with. Get started by getting in touch now