Hiring against a backdrop of cost pressure
Despite ongoing cost pressure across the sector, 70% of construction employers report plans to recruit, signalling confidence in the medium-term pipeline even as near-term margins remain tight.
The risk of hiring ahead of confirmed work
Recruiting ahead of confirmed contract awards can leave capacity underutilised if the pipeline surge takes longer to materialise than expected. Conversely, hiring too slowly risks losing awarded contracts to competitors who can mobilise faster.
Balancing the two
Phase recruitment against confirmed contract award data rather than general market optimism, and use flexible or subcontracted capacity to bridge the gap between confirmed and forecast workload. This keeps cost growth proportional to actual, not anticipated, revenue.
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