Marco Verdonkschot, Managing Director of IronmongeryDirect, said:
“It’s encouraging to see that, according to the latest ONS data, the construction industry has continued along the road to recovery, and these employment figures show that the sector has rebounded strongly from an incredibly challenging year.
“We saw job vacancies rise once again, with the 28,000 roles available being the joint highest (along with Nov-Jan 21) total since pre–pandemic levels1. Meanwhile, redundancies declined, down to 9,000 from 13,0002, showing that jobs in the industry are becoming more secure, and employers are actively looking to hire.
“Despite the positives, it’s important to highlight that whilst signs of recovery are clear and encouraging, the industry has not fully returned to normal.
“This is highlighted in the unemployment statistics, which rose by 5,000 to a total of 72,000. This is 19,000 more than the same period last year3, showing there is still a lot of hard work to be done before we can know with confidence that the industry has fully recovered.
“Overall, while there is still some way to go before a full recovery has been made, it’s incredibly positive to see the resilience that the industry has shown.”
For more information on IronmongeryDirect, visit: https://www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk/