| But the team at Scottish Economic Research are warning that colleges and employers will need to boost their training programmes if local workers are to benefit.
Spending on construction projects across the region is expected to total over £670 million in 2005. That is 12% more than this year’s figure.
The rise could see as many as 14,300 people employed in the sector, compared to 13,000 at present.
All three local authorities in Tayside are expected to share in the boom, with the number of construction projects in Angus jumping from 66 to 99, Dundee rising from 156 to 197 and Perth and Kinross going from 117 to 139.
However, the researchers cautioned that training for local residents was needed to enable them to enter skilled occupations suffering from shortages.
They said, “If this is not done, contractors will move to recruit outwith Tayside, bidding for highly mobile labour skills that may well be in demand elsewhere in Scotland, the rest of the UK and even Europe.
“Profitability could suffer as wages rise, some contractors may shut down and others might have to renegotiate projects with their clients.”
SER reckons that 470 people will need to be trained annually to ensure there is a big enough workforce in the region to cope with demand. That is well above the present level.
The list includes carpenters and joiners, plumbers, painters and decorators, bricklayers, scaffolders and roofers, along with construction and civil engineering professionals.
Projections for 2006 suggest the construction sector will continue to grow, although at a slower pace than next year. Spending is expected to rise to more than £690 million, but only a small number of extra jobs will be available.
The number of projects in Dundee may actually decline, but this should be more than offset by continued growth in Angus and especially in Perth and Kinross. |
