https://www.xperience-group.com/news-item/july-construction-round-up/
Summer hasn’t slowed down the construction industry this July with reports highlighting growth. Social Media usage is on the increase, and a Danish firm has brought smartphone virtual reality to the building site. Keep reading for more insights
This month, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) released their State of Trade Survey for Q2 2017. One of the key findings highlighted that Q2 2017 was the 17th consecutive quarter of growth, meaning the construction SME sector has been growing steadily for four consecutive years. It has been predicted that construction work, the cost of materials and salaries will all continue to rise. Bricklayers, carpenters and joiners are skills high in demand, with construction SME’s struggling to hire and fill roles in these areas.
Read more on the report via UK Construction Media.
A report produced by The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB)this month has suggested that London’s booming construction market will be faced with a skills shortage. The CITB have listed the occupations with the greatest risk of a shortfall, including plant mechanics/fitters, scaffolders and bricklayers, steel erectors and roofers. However, London’s tradition of drawing workers in from other regions such as the South East is expected to help reduce skills pressures considerably.
More here via The Construction Index.
The latest figures from the CITB highlighted that major contractors are still getting much larger shares of training grants. The figures have shown that in 2016 major contractors made £59.4m in levy payments and received £52.7m back in grant and support payments. Meanwhile small-sized contractors paid in £92m and only received back £51m. See the list of the top ten grant recipients via Construction Enquirer.
The use of technology and smartphones on-site is becoming widely adopted across the construction industry. The latest advancement comes from a Danish software company who have launched an Augmented Reality (AR) tool which works on mobile devices and is currently being piloted in the construction of a large hospital. The tool allows construction site workers to see a mix of reality and digital drawings from their smartphone, while on site. What next?
More here via Construction Enquirer
Preliminary findings of a survey due out in September indicate that the use of social media by construction professionals is on the increase. The survey, which will inform the fifth edition of the Construction Media Index report, has found 90% of professionals are active on social media and 43% use social networks for sourcing construction product information and ideas.