How to Attract the Younger Generation Into Construction

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The construction industry is the backbone of the UK’s infrastructure. It shapes our cities, restores historic buildings, and delivers the homes, roads, and public spaces we rely on every day. Despite its importance, the sector continues to face a growing challenge: attracting young people into construction careers.

At Extra Workforce, a leading construction recruitment agency in Birmingham, we work closely with employers across the region and see this challenge first-hand. With an ageing workforce and increasing demand for skilled labour, attracting younger talent is no longer optional. It is essential for the future of the industry.

Before businesses can address the issue, it is important to understand why younger people are not choosing construction in the first place.

Why Aren’t Young People Choosing Construction?

Many young people still hold outdated views about the construction industry. It is often perceived as physically demanding work with limited career progression, little flexibility, and few opportunities beyond on-site roles. Others believe it is a male-dominated sector that does not offer inclusive or modern working environments.

Schools and colleges also play a part. There is often limited exposure to construction careers, meaning students are rarely shown the full range of opportunities available. As a result, many young people never consider construction as a viable or rewarding career path.

The reality is very different.

Construction offers long-term stability, competitive salaries, and diverse career options. From project management and engineering to sustainability, digital construction, and design, the sector provides real progression and transferable skills. The challenge lies in communicating this more effectively to the next generation.

How to Attract Younger People Into Construction

If you are struggling to attract younger workers, these practical steps can help position your business as an employer of choice and close the age gap within your workforce.

1. Offer Clear Career Development and Mentorship

Younger workers, particularly Gen Z, are looking for more than just a job. They want purpose, progression, and support. Clear career pathways, structured training, and mentorship programmes help demonstrate that construction offers long-term growth rather than short-term labour.

Flexible working options, funded qualifications, and wellbeing initiatives also play a big role in attracting younger candidates. These benefits show that your business values development and work-life balance.

At Extra Workforce, we actively promote structured training and progression opportunities when supporting employers with construction recruitment in Birmingham. These programmes help transfer knowledge from experienced professionals to new entrants while building loyalty and confidence.

2. Embrace and Promote Technology

Younger generations are digital natives and expect technology to be part of their working lives. Construction has evolved significantly, with tools such as BIM, drones, AI, and virtual reality transforming how projects are delivered.

Promoting the use of modern technology helps change perceptions of construction as outdated or purely manual. It also opens the door to tech-driven roles that appeal to younger talent.

If your business uses innovative tools, make it visible. Share content on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn to showcase modern sites, digital processes, and behind-the-scenes insights into today’s construction careers.

3. Highlight Purpose and Real-World Impact

Younger workers want to feel that their work makes a difference. Construction plays a vital role in shaping communities, improving infrastructure, and supporting sustainability goals.

If your projects focus on green building, carbon reduction, or community development, communicate this clearly in your recruitment messaging. Purpose-led work resonates strongly with young people and can be a deciding factor when choosing between industries.

4. Build an Inclusive and Positive Workplace Culture

An inclusive workplace is no longer a bonus. It is an expectation. Younger workers want to see diversity, equality, and fairness reflected in both hiring practices and company culture.

Creating an environment where everyone feels valued means investing in training, encouraging collaboration, and supporting social connection within teams. Showcasing employee stories, team events, and progression journeys on your website and social channels helps bring your culture to life.

As a construction recruitment agency in Birmingham, Extra Workforce works with employers who understand that strong culture attracts strong candidates.

5. Engage Early Through Education Partnerships

Many young people lack confidence and awareness when it comes to construction careers. Building relationships with schools, colleges, and universities can help change this.

Career fairs, apprenticeships, work placements, and site visits give students hands-on exposure to the industry. Early engagement builds skills, confidence, and interest long before career decisions are finalised.

Employers who invest in education partnerships often see stronger talent pipelines and improved retention over time.

6. Offer Competitive Pay and Benefits

While purpose and culture matter, salary and benefits still influence career choices. Competitive pay, clear progression-linked increases, and strong benefits packages make construction more attractive to younger workers.

Being transparent about earning potential, job security, and long-term stability can challenge misconceptions and position construction as a financially rewarding career.

Supporting the Future of Construction

At Extra Workforce, we are committed to helping employers attract and retain the next generation of construction professionals. As a trusted partner for construction recruitment in Birmingham, we support businesses in building skilled, diverse, and future-ready teams.

By focusing on career development, modern technology, inclusivity, education, and competitive pay, the construction industry can change perceptions and secure the talent it needs to thrive.

If you are looking to strengthen your workforce and appeal to younger candidates, Extra Workforce is here to help.

 

Extra Workforce Construction Recruitment FAQs

Construction recruitment experts in Birmingham and the West Midlands

These FAQs explain how our security services support construction sites of all sizes across Birmingham.

This guide explains our services, processes and the expertise behind our team so you can make confident and informed decisions. If you have any questions that are not answered here, our support team is available around the clock. You can contact us by email or through our online form. Your security matters to us and we are here to help at every stage.

Cients FAQs

W recruit both contract and permanent workforce. If you are hiring contractors we can manage the process and help you navigate the necessary regulations.

We advertise your job ads on every major job board such as CV Library and Total Jobs etc, as well as our own website , and social media channels on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Job seekers can create a complete professional profile at extraworkforce.uk website to get matched to the right opportunity. We have hundreds of professionals with completed profiles in our database.

Once you create your business profile, you can post you job ad at the website. A recruitment consultant will then be matched to you based on your needs and get in touch to discuss the vacancy further.

Our process begins with a CV review and a pre-screening call. Candidates who pass this stage proceed to a formal interview with our recruitment team for a detailed assessment.

We start charging fee if a candidate that has been introduced to you by us is employed within your company and starts working with you. Until then our service is completely free of charge.

We usually offer an industry leading guarantee period – so you are covered with a replacement, completely free of charge, should anything go wrong with our candidates.

Candidate FAQs

At Extra Workforce, the whole recruitment process is done remotely and there is no need for candidates to visit the office or hand documents and IDs. Current jobs are published on the website. After you apply for for a job a website, we invite you to complete your job application if we think you the are right fit for the vacancy. Once invited, you can complete your job application and get interviewed. afterwards.

Using a specialist, specific agency like Extra Workforce will mean you will have a consultant on your side, that understands what you want, matching you to the right opportunity and pushing to get you through the door. We will help you through the entire process to ensure you get the job you want.

Pay rates can vary depending on your sector, job type, contract length, and size of the recruiting business. We’ll always guarantee that you’ll be paid at least the National Minimum Wage.

Extra Workforce is a leading construction recruitment agency built on reputation and client focus. We leverage deep market connections to provide access to exclusive, unadvertised roles. We then manage your entire application and act as your advocate with the employer.

Holiday is accrued based on 12.07% of your basic pay. Contact the office to request a holiday.

Generally if we think that you are suitable for the role then we will invite to complete your job application within 3-5 working days. If we have not contacted you by then it could be that we felt you were unsuitable for the role. It's always a good idea to call us to double check.

You and most employees in the UK pay tax to contribute towards public services like the NHS, schools, roads, and emergency services. If you earn over the personal allowance set by the government, tax is automatically deducted from your wages through PAYE

Never! We only present your details to a client after we have spoken to you about the vacancy, the company and received your permission to do so.

We don’t provide transport as standard, so make sure to plan how you’ll get to and from work. Most of our roles are easy to get to by public transport, within walking distance.

If you have a complaint or concern, the first step is to contact your consultant. In case they need to escalate the issue to the right person or department to make sure it’s properly reviewed.

The types of jobs we offer can vary depending on demand, the season and your proximity to your workplace. We recruit for a mix of full-time and part-time roles, as well as temporary, fixed-term, and permanent positions.

We specialise in finding opportunities for construction professionals, such as labourers and traffic marshalls.

Using a recruitment agency offers significant advantages for job seekers. Their industry connections and resources can efficiently match your skills with suitable opportunities. Furthermore, they provide invaluable support by negotiating salaries and benefits on your behalf and guiding you through the entire search process. This partnership ultimately saves considerable time and effort.

Areas we cover in the West Midlands:

Wolverhampton

Willenhall

West Bromwich

Wednesbury

Walsall

Tipton

Sutton Coldfield

Stoke

Solihull

Soho

Smethwick

Shirley

Sandwell

Rowley Regis

Oldbury

Northfield

Harborne

Handsworth

Hall Green

Great Barr

Erdington

Edgbaston

Dudley

Coventry

Bournville

Birmingham

Bilston

Aston

Aldridge

Quinton