Can't Find Workers in Construction? What to Do
The short answer
If you can't find workers in construction, stop relying on one advert. Ask your best trades for referrals, write adverts that state the rate and the work, grow your own with apprentices (CITB and government funding cover most of the cost), and make your firm the one good trades want to stay with.
- The shortage is real. CITB says UK construction needs about 41,200 extra workers a year to 2030. You compete for people, not just for jobs.
- Use four channels at once: referrals, merchants, adverts with the rate in them, and apprentices.
- Apprentices are mostly funded. A CITB-registered employer in England can claim £2,500 a year plus £3,500 on completion.
- Keep who you have. Steady work, pay on the day and organised sites stop good people being poached.
You have the work. You have the enquiries. What you do not have is people to send. So you turn jobs down, push start dates back, or end up on the tools yourself again.
This guide is for UK building company owners who can't find workers. It shows where workers come from in 2026, what each channel costs you, how funding makes apprentices cheap, and how to stop good people leaving. Short of labour and want a plan for your firm? Book a free strategy call.
Why you can't find workers in construction right now
It is not just you. CITB says UK construction needs about 41,200 extra workers a year to 2030, or 206,000 in total. That is on top of replacing the people who retire or leave.
Small builders feel it most. In the latest Federation of Master Builders survey, 72% of small firms were hit by a lack of skilled trades. And 49% had jobs delayed because of it.
Carpenters (30%) and bricklayers (29%) were the hardest roles to fill, then plumbers and heating engineers (23%). So stop thinking "I need to find a worker". Think "I need a system that keeps finding workers", because good trades now choose who they work for.
Where to find workers: the four channels
Most owners post one advert, get no replies and give up. Run all four channels at the same time:
| Channel | What it costs you | How fast | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Referrals from your best trades | Time, and a thank-you when it works | Days | Skilled trades who fit your standard |
| Merchants and trade counters | Time, a card on the counter | Days to weeks | Local trades who already order well |
| Job boards and local groups | Free to post, paid to promote | 1–3 weeks | Labourers and general operatives |
| Apprentices | A wage; training mostly funded | Months to train | The skilled team you need in 2–3 years |
Agencies fill a gap fast, but they add their margin to the rate. Use them for cover, not as the plan.
Want the testing side? How to find good tradesmen to hire covers trial days and references.
Still waiting for replies to the same advert?
Book a free call with our team. We'll map where your next workers come from and what keeps them with you.
Write a job advert that gets replies
Trades skip adverts that say "competitive rates, immediate start". They reply to adverts that read like a fair quote. Put these in every advert:
- the trade and the level: "experienced second-fix carpenter"
- the area and the type of work: "North London, kitchens and extensions"
- the day rate or salary, in numbers
- how long: "3 months, then ongoing for the right person"
- when you pay: "every Friday, by bank transfer"
The pay line matters most. A trade with three offers picks the one that says when the money arrives.
Hiding the rate "to negotiate later". Good trades do not apply to an advert that will not tell them the pay.
Grow your own: apprentices are mostly paid for
If you cannot buy skilled trades, train them. Many owners skip apprentices because they think it is expensive. In England, most of the cost is covered.
| What you get | Amount | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Training, apprentice aged 16–24 | 100% of the course | Government |
| Training, apprentice aged 25+ | 95% (you pay 5%) | Government |
| CITB attendance grant | £2,500 a year | CITB |
| CITB achievement grant | £3,500 on completion | CITB |
| Younger apprentice payment | £1,000 (two parts) | Government |
The training rules apply to non-levy employers, so most small firms, from August 2026. To claim CITB grants you must be CITB registered and up to date with your levy returns. The apprentice must be directly employed on an approved apprenticeship at Level 2 or above.
From October 2026 the government also pays a separate £2,000 hiring payment for eligible apprentices. Check what applies with your training provider.
You still pay the apprentice's wage. An apprentice works beside your best tradesman for a year or two before they run work alone. That is why the best time to start one is before you are desperate.
Keep the workers you have
Finding a worker takes weeks. Losing one takes a phone call from a competitor offering a better day rate. Most good trades do not leave over pay alone. They leave because of:
- Gaps between jobs. Two quiet weeks and they take the next offer.
- Late pay. One late Friday and they start looking.
- Chaotic sites. No materials, no drawings, no plan for the day.
- No way up. A good tradesman wants to run a job one day, not just work on one.
Fix those four and you become the firm good trades recommend to their mates. That is how referrals start working for you. If you want to see where your firm stands, take the four-minute Construction Business Scorecard.
The Business That Runs Without You
Who to hire first, the subcontractor bank and the team checklists that let you grow without doing it all yourself.
Get the free guideWhen a competitor poaches staff, or your best worker leaves
You cannot stop people leaving. You can stop it hurting the business.
If a competitor poaches staff, ask the person why they are going before you match anything. If it is the four reasons above, a pay rise alone will not keep the next one.
If your best worker leaves to start his own business, part on good terms. Offer him work as a subcontractor. He knows your standards and your clients. For key staff and subcontractors, ask a solicitor about reasonable non-solicitation agreements so nobody takes your clients with them.
Then fix the real problem: one person held the knowledge. Write down how your jobs run so the next person learns it in weeks, not years.
Lost a key worker and the work is piling up?
Book a free strategy call and we will plan your next hires with you.
While you are short: protect the work you have
Hiring takes weeks. These keep jobs moving now:
- Subcontract whole packages instead of hiring for every trade. See employ or subcontract labour.
- Price for the labour market. If trades cost more, your quotes must too.
- Give honest start dates. A client told "March" is happier than one promised "next week" and let down.
- Say no to the wrong jobs. Small, far-away jobs burn the labour your best clients need.
What fast team-building looks like
Oleg, a 19-year-old taper and jointer, built a team of 10+ people within two months of starting his company. Dima, an electrician in our mentorship, took on about 10 people in about four weeks. Individual results, not typical or guaranteed.
Sviat Jay runs Craftex, a London design and build company, and mentors owners one to one himself. Every firm is short of people in a different way. One needs an apprentice plan, another a subcontractor bench. Another needs a manager so the owner can get off site. He works on your gap first.
He is aiming for results in about 4 months rather than 1–3-year programs. To plan your next hires with us, book a free strategy call, or see how our mentoring programs work.
Before you post your next advert
Funding figures are for England as of October 2026 and change each year. Check current amounts with CITB and your training provider.
Before you go
- Your best trades have been asked who they would work with again
- The advert states the trade, area, rate and when you pay
- You have checked if you can claim CITB apprentice grants
- Your pay day, programme and materials are sorted, so new people stay
- Key staff and subcontractors have a non-solicitation clause
