CITB has issued a warning regarding the UK's construction sector.

It said the industry is facing a skills 'time bomb' if it fails to recruit new workers needed to replace more than 400,000 people set to retire within the next five to 10 years.

The labour market research, published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that 19% (equivalent to 406,000 people) of construction workers aged 55 or over are due to retire in the next five to 10 years, while 24% (518,000 people) of construction workers aged between 45 and 54 are set to retire in the next 10 to 20 years.

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A further 37% of the industry workforce is self-employed and 23% (182,800 people) of those are set to retire from the industry in the next five to 10 years.

The number of those retiring in Scotland within that time period is expected to be approximately 56,000 people.

With many young people due to receive GCSE and A-Level results this month, CITB is now encouraging employers to recruit from the emerging pool of talented young people who will be considering their next steps.

Interim Chief Executive of CITB, William Burton, said: "Almost one in five workers is set to retire from the construction industry over the next 5-10 years, so not taking action now to encourage young people to join the industry – and investing in the training to up-skill our existing workforce – is no longer an option. The construction sector is essential for local and national economic growth and to avoid the similar skills crisis that affected the industry in the early 1990's, we urge employers to act now."

(JP/MH)