Construction companies are used to solving difficult problems. Every project brings its own combination of deadlines, budgets, technical requirements and unexpected complications. Finding the right people has always been part of that challenge, but the past year has reinforced how closely recruitment is connected to a company’s ability to deliver. Securing a contract is one achievement. Having enough experienced people to complete it safely, profitably and to the required standard is another.
For employers in Ireland and the UK, there are useful lessons to take from the recruitment challenges highlighted over the past twelve months. Some concern the availability of particular skills, while others involve how businesses approach recruitment, what they offer employees and how effectively they support people once they arrive. Taken together, they make a strong case for treating workforce planning as a central part of running a construction business.
Encouraging Signs
Ireland’s housing figures provide an encouraging backdrop. The Central Statistics Office reported 36,284 new dwelling completions in 2025, an increase of 20.4% on the previous year. Apartment completions increased by 38.7%, demonstrating the industry’s capacity to deliver a substantial rise in output. These figures measure completed homes rather than recruitment demand, but they provide a useful reminder of the considerable effort and coordination involved in turning construction plans into finished developments. Source: CSO.
Behind that delivery are the tradespeople, engineers, supervisors and project teams responsible for making it happen. Maintaining and expanding that capability requires employers to look carefully at how they recruit and retain their workforce. There is little value in planning for a larger project pipeline without understanding where the people needed to support it will come from.
One of the clearest takeaways is that employers need to be more precise when discussing skills shortages. A company may receive plenty of applications for one position while struggling to attract suitable candidates for another. Even within the same trade, experience can vary considerably depending on the projects, materials and working environments someone has encountered. A general shortage of applicants and a shortage of people with a particular capability are different problems, requiring different responses.
The November 2025 SOLAS recruitment agency survey helps illustrate this. Construction represented 31% of the difficult-to-fill vacancy mentions reported by participating agencies, with roles including site managers, engineers, quantity surveyors, carpenters, electricians and welders. This was a survey of selected recruitment agencies rather than a vacancy rate for the whole industry, but it demonstrates how recruitment difficulties can affect several parts of a construction business simultaneously. Source: SOLAS.
How Construction Companies can use this to their advantage
For employers, the lesson is to begin with a clear understanding of the work that needs to be done. A recruitment brief should explain the tasks involved, the level of independence expected and the experience that genuinely matters. Simply asking for someone with five years in a particular trade may exclude a capable candidate with four years of highly relevant experience while attracting someone whose longer career has involved very different work.
This also means being realistic about which requirements are essential from the first day and which can be developed. Qualifications, safety requirements and technical competence must be taken seriously. However, familiarity with a particular company’s processes or equipment may be something an otherwise suitable employee can acquire through training. Making that distinction gives employers a broader selection of candidates without compromising the standards expected on site.
Another lesson concerns when recruitment begins. Construction programmes depend on activities happening in the right order, yet hiring can still be left until a start date is approaching. At that point, a business has fewer options and less time to assess them. Managers may feel pressure to appoint whoever is available, even if they have reservations about whether that person is suitable for the role.
Earlier planning gives businesses more room to make informed decisions. It allows them to identify roles that may take longer to fill, establish recruitment relationships and prepare a proper assessment process. This does not require hiring an entire team before a contract is confirmed. It means understanding likely workforce requirements early enough to act confidently when the project receives approval.
Construction recruitment planning
Recruitment should therefore form part of conversations about tendering, scheduling and growth. If a contract requires specialist skills that are difficult to source, that needs to be reflected in the delivery plan. Otherwise, the company risks making commitments based on a workforce it does not yet have. A realistic recruitment timetable gives commercial and operational teams a stronger basis for the promises they make to clients.
The past year’s recruitment challenges also provide a reason to reconsider how candidates are assessed. A CV is useful for understanding someone’s background, but it offers limited evidence of how they will perform in a specific role. Two candidates with similar employment histories may approach the same task very differently. Interviews can help reveal those differences, although confidence in conversation does not always correspond with practical ability.
Relevant skills assessments can give employers a clearer picture. Depending on the role, this might involve interpreting a drawing, completing a supervised trade test or explaining how to approach a technical problem. The assessment should reflect the actual job and use consistent criteria so that candidates are judged fairly. It should also help identify where further training or supervision may be needed.
This approach is particularly useful when recruiting from unfamiliar companies, sectors or international markets. Employers may not immediately recognise a previous employer or understand the scale of the projects listed on a CV. A well-designed assessment provides a more direct way to establish whether the candidate has the skills required. It also gives capable applicants an opportunity to demonstrate strengths that may not come across clearly on paper.
Pay remains an essential part of attracting those candidates, but employers should consider how the complete offer looks from the worker’s perspective. An advertised salary or hourly rate is only one part of the decision. Guaranteed hours, overtime arrangements, travel costs, accommodation and the expected duration of employment all influence whether a move is worthwhile.
A seemingly attractive offer can become much less appealing when the practical details are considered. A long commute may add substantial costs and take several hours out of someone’s day. Unclear working hours can make it difficult to judge likely earnings. Employers who explain these details honestly give candidates a better basis for deciding whether the job suits their circumstances, reducing the likelihood of misunderstandings after they join.
Accommodation is especially relevant when recruiting people who need to relocate. The SOLAS survey identified the limited availability and high cost of accommodation as continuing barriers to attracting international candidates to Ireland. This makes housing a recruitment consideration that employers need to address early, particularly where a candidate has little knowledge of the local market. Source: SOLAS.
Businesses should be clear about any assistance they offer, the likely costs involved and how employees will travel between their accommodation and the workplace. These conversations are more useful before an offer is accepted than after someone has made arrangements to leave their current job. A successful relocation depends on the person being able to build a workable daily routine around their employment.
Looking at International Recruitment
International recruitment can offer construction companies access to experienced people where local recruitment has not produced enough suitable candidates. It works best when employers approach it as part of a considered workforce plan, with clear expectations around selection, skills assessment and mobilisation. Local recruitment, apprenticeships, internal development and international hiring can all contribute to the same objective of building a capable team.
The timing needs to be realistic. Recruiting internationally can involve documentation, applicable permissions, notice periods and travel arrangements, alongside the practical preparations needed at the destination. Requirements differ between Ireland and the UK, so employers need advice relevant to the role and location. These stages should be incorporated into project planning rather than treated as details to resolve once a candidate has been selected.
For companies considering this route, specialist support can make the process easier to manage. Aureol Global Connections helps employers access international talent, with practical skills assessment forming an important part of establishing suitability. The value of this approach is in giving construction businesses a clearer understanding of the people they are recruiting and how those individuals can contribute to their workforce.
Recruitment, however, is only part of the picture. Employers also need to examine why existing employees leave and whether those departures could have been avoided. An experienced worker takes more than technical ability with them when they move on. They also take knowledge of the company’s standards, its working practices and the relationships that help projects run smoothly.
Replacing that experience creates additional work for the people who remain. Supervisors need to introduce a new employee to the job, colleagues need time to establish effective working relationships and the newcomer needs to understand what is expected. When turnover becomes frequent, this cycle can place a continuing burden on the team. Retention therefore deserves the same attention as attracting new applicants.
The fundamentals matter here. Employees need reliable pay, reasonable working arrangements, respectful supervision and confidence that concerns will be taken seriously. Opportunities to develop can also influence whether someone sees a future with a business. Progression is more convincing when employees understand what they need to learn and how taking on additional responsibility will be recognised.
The first few weeks of employment are an important opportunity to establish that confidence. New starters should know who to approach with questions, how their work will be assessed and what support is available. Regular conversations can help resolve small problems before they become more serious. For someone who has relocated internationally, those conversations may also reveal practical difficulties outside work that are affecting their ability to settle.
Employers should also consider whether their supervisors have enough time to support an expanding workforce. Adding several new employees at once increases the need for instruction, coordination and feedback. If supervisors are already working at full capacity, the arrival of additional people can initially create more pressure. A hiring plan should account for this management responsibility as well as the number of workers required.
Future Proofing your construction workforce
Training has a similar relationship with capacity. Apprenticeships and employee development are essential investments, but they require time and attention from experienced people. Businesses should recognise that commitment when allocating workloads. A tradesperson who is expected to train someone while maintaining an unchanged output may struggle to give either responsibility the attention it deserves.
The skills required by the business should also be reviewed as its work develops. SOLAS lists training in modern methods of construction covering areas such as offsite construction, Building Information Modelling and project management. These options give employers opportunities to consider how training can support different methods of delivery and prepare their workforce for upcoming requirements. Source: SOLAS.
For hiring managers, this means checking that job descriptions still reflect the work employees will actually perform. Expectations around digital drawings, recording completed work or coordinating with other teams should be explained clearly. An accurate description helps attract suitable candidates and gives employees a fair understanding of the position before they accept it.
The most useful takeaway from the past year is that construction hiring works better when it is connected to the wider running of the business. Clear recruitment briefs improve candidate selection. Early planning supports realistic project schedules. Practical assessments provide better evidence of ability, while thoughtful onboarding and good working conditions help employees settle and stay.
Construction employers cannot control every change in the labour market, but they can improve how they prepare for it. Businesses that understand their skills requirements, invest in their existing teams and remain open to different sources of talent give themselves more options when new work arrives. That preparation puts them in a stronger position to turn opportunities into successfully completed projects.
We’d love to speak to you about your constructing hiring in 2027 and beyond – to do so get in touch with us at sales@aureolclobalconnections.com or fill in our contact form here
