According to a survey targeting a range of sectors, construction workers are convinced that their profession is the most fulfilling in the UK; research was conducted by specialist recruiter Randstad Construction, Property and Engineering.
More than a third (34 per cent) of construction workers consider their own sector as the most fulfilling career, more than double the next most highly-regarded occupation– telecoms, media and technology with 15 per cent, according to research conducted for the 2014 Randstad Fulfilment@Work Report. The only other sectors to register a significant score were Health and social care (12 per cent) and hospitality (9 per cent).
Whilst construction workers regard their own sector is admirable, other employees in the UK in general don’t share the same perception, with just 3 per cent perceiving construction as the most fulfilling sector to work in. The general populace vote went to health and social care with almost a quarter (23 per cent) of those polled regarding it the most fulfilling sector to work in, followed by arts, entertainment and publishing (12 per cent) and education (11 per cent).
Owen Goodhead, MD of Randstad Construction, Property & Engineering, said: “It makes perfect sense that construction workers are so proud of their profession as it is incredibly fulfilling to see projects move from planning stage to fruition as a result of your own hard work.
“The results are also down in part to the renaissance the UK construction market is enjoying at present with the recent Markit/CIPS UK Construction PMI showing the sharpest expansion of construction output for eight months and levels comfortably above the nadir witnessed in 2008/9.
“With more than 10,000 workers involved in huge current projects like London’s Crossrail and a number of future developments outside the capital such as planned transport improvements between Lancashire and Yorkshire and Liverpool FC’s stadium overhaul requiring substantial manpower, there will be plenty of opportunities for employees from labourers to quantity surveyors and site managers in the coming months and years.
“Hopefully this steady level of activity will help keep construction workers regarding their own sector as the most fulfilling to operate in.”
Astonishingly, the research also pointed a difference between construction workers and their peers which is the percentage of respondents who said they ‘fell into’ their current career. Just over half of construction workers said that was how they became involved in their current profession, closely followed by individuals working in legal (50 per cent) and property (48 per cent). At the other end of the spectrum, just 16 per cent of doctors and nurses accidentally embarked on their calling.
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