The UK construction sector employed 2.2 million people last year, accounting for 6.5% of the national workforce. Its output grew modestly against a backdrop of 220,000 current vacancies and a 2.1% average profit margin. This analysis examines the industry's critical data on employment, finance, and project delivery.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, the UK construction sector employed approximately 2.2 million people, representing 6.5% of total UK employment
- Construction workforce grew by 1.8% year-on-year in Q4 2023, adding 38,000 jobs
- 14% of construction workers were self-employed in 2022, higher than the UK average of 4.7%
- UK construction output value reached £173 billion in 2022
- Industry turnover grew 4.2% to £226 billion in 2022
- Average profit margin for main contractors was 2.1% in 2023
- Construction output increased by 0.4% in Q1 2024 compared to Q1 2023
- New work output fell 2.1% in 2023, while repair and maintenance rose 4.5%
- Infrastructure output grew 3.2% in Q4 2023, driven by transport projects
- 3.8 million new homes needed by 2031 per government target
- HS2 project cost escalated to £100 billion by 2023 estimate
- Sizewell C nuclear plant approved with £20 billion budget
- Fatal injuries in construction numbered 29 in 2022/23, rate of 1.47 per 100,000 workers
- Ill-health cases totalled 6,600 in construction in 2022/23, rate 334 per 100,000
- 45,000 non-fatal injuries reported in 2022/23, rate 2,295 per 100,000
UK construction employed 2.2 million people in 2023, but skills shortages, costs, and weak productivity persist.
Related reading
01 · Category
Employment19 stats
01
In 2023, the UK construction sector employed approximately 2.2 million people, representing 6.5% of total UK employment
02
Construction workforce grew by 1.8% year-on-year in Q4 2023, adding 38,000 jobs
03
14% of construction workers were self-employed in 2022, higher than the UK average of 4.7%
04
Average weekly earnings in construction reached £713 in 2023, 12% above the national median
05
28% of construction apprenticeships were completed in 2022/23, with 45,000 starts
06
Female representation in construction was 14.3% in 2023, up from 12% in 2019
07
220,000 construction vacancies reported in Q2 2024
08
65,000 EU workers left construction post-Brexit by 2023
09
Productivity in construction lagged 30% behind the whole economy in 2022
10
42% of firms reported skills shortages in bricklaying in 2023
11
Total housing starts: 147,000 in 2023, down 9% YoY
12
Construction employment in London: 250,000 in 2023
13
Age profile: 20% of workforce over 55 in 2023
14
Ethnic minorities: 12% of construction workforce in 2022
15
Zero-hours contracts: 2.5% in construction vs 0.9% average
16
52,000 new apprentices started in 2022/23
17
Labour turnover rate 15% annually in construction
18
Migrant workers: 15% of workforce in 2023
19
Disability employment gap: 25% lower in construction
Interpretation
Employment Interpretation
While boasting higher pay and adding jobs, the UK construction industry is simultaneously underpinned by self-reliance and undermined by its own aging workforce, skills shortages, and stubborn productivity gap, creating a paradox where it builds the future while struggling to assemble its own.
02 · Category
Finance19 stats
01
UK construction output value reached £173 billion in 2022
02
Industry turnover grew 4.2% to £226 billion in 2022
03
Average profit margin for main contractors was 2.1% in 2023
04
Construction firms' insolvency rate was 1.2 per 10,000 companies in 2023, up 22%
05
£1.2 billion in late payments affected construction in 2023
06
R&D tax relief claims in construction totalled £450 million in 2022/23
07
Export value of construction services was £5.6 billion in 2022
08
68% of firms reported rising material costs in 2023 survey
09
Tender price inflation forecasted at 3.5% for 2024
10
Debt levels in construction rose 15% to £28 billion in 2023
11
Gross value added by construction: £117 billion in 2022, 5.6% GDP
12
Subcontractor payments delayed average 47 days in 2023
13
Material cost index up 8% in 2023
14
Insurance premiums rose 12% for contractors in 2023
15
Venture capital in proptech: £1.8 billion 2022
16
Tax receipts from construction: £35 billion in 2022/23
17
SME construction firms: 99% of 200,000 businesses
18
Fuel costs impact: 5% rise in operating margins
19
Green bonds issued for projects: £3 billion in 2023
Interpretation
Finance Interpretation
Despite generating £226 billion in turnover and £117 billion in economic value, the UK construction industry is a high-volume, low-margin tightrope walk where a 2.1% profit is constantly nibbled by £1.2 billion in late payments, soaring material costs, and a worrying 15% rise in debt.
03 · Category
Output19 stats
01
Construction output increased by 0.4% in Q1 2024 compared to Q1 2023
02
New work output fell 2.1% in 2023, while repair and maintenance rose 4.5%
03
Infrastructure output grew 3.2% in Q4 2023, driven by transport projects
04
Private housing output declined 5.8% year-on-year in February 2024
05
Public non-housing output rose 1.9% in 2023
06
Total construction output volume index stood at 92.5 in 2023 (2019=100)
07
Scotland's construction output grew 2.1% in 2023, above UK average
08
Northern Ireland output increased 4.7% in Q3 2023
09
Whole economy productivity growth was 0.6% in 2023, construction at -0.2%
10
BIM adoption reached 70% of projects by value in 2023
11
Output per worker: £78,000 in 2022
12
Private industrial output up 6.1% in Q1 2024
13
Office building output down 18% YoY in 2023
14
Wales construction output flat at 0% growth 2023
15
Modular construction share: 10% of projects by 2023
16
Digital twin adoption: 45% of large firms
17
Carbon emissions from construction: 40% of UK total
18
Prefab market value £2.5 billion in 2023
19
AI use in planning: 25% of firms in 2024 survey
Interpretation
Output Interpretation
The construction industry is performing a precarious ballet, where we're frantically repairing the past and building infrastructure for the future, all while nervously watching the foundations of new private housing crumble away.
More related reading
04 · Category
Projects19 stats
01
3.8 million new homes needed by 2031 per government target
02
HS2 project cost escalated to £100 billion by 2023 estimate
03
Sizewell C nuclear plant approved with £20 billion budget
04
250,000 social homes pipeline to 2029
05
Lower Thames Crossing project value £9 billion
06
Hinkley Point C 20% complete, £25-26 billion cost
07
Manchester Airport expansion third runway approved 2023
08
1,200km of new cycle paths planned under Active Travel
09
Thames Tideway Tunnel 85% complete in 2024, £4.2 billion
10
Road building programme: £27 billion allocated 2020-2025
11
Heathrow third runway decision pending, est £14bn
12
Crossrail 2 proposed £30-45 billion cost
13
East West Rail Phase 2: £1.8 billion
14
Northern Powerhouse Rail: £12 billion estimate
15
700,000 affordable homes target 2021-2026
16
Offshore wind farm capacity: 13.5 GW operational 2023
17
Data centre pipeline: 2 GW under construction
18
Student accommodation: 100,000 beds planned
19
Hospital rebuilds: 40 under New Hospital Programme
Interpretation
Projects Interpretation
Despite being tasked with building a new future, Britain's construction industry appears to be primarily occupied in a high-stakes game of estimating astronomical budgets and then calmly watching them double.
05 · Category
Safety19 stats
01
Fatal injuries in construction numbered 29 in 2022/23, rate of 1.47 per 100,000 workers
02
Ill-health cases totalled 6,600 in construction in 2022/23, rate 334 per 100,000
03
45,000 non-fatal injuries reported in 2022/23, rate 2,295 per 100,000
04
Musculoskeletal disorders accounted for 65% of ill-health in 2022
05
Falls from height caused 29% of fatal injuries over last 20 years
06
72% compliance with CDM regulations in 2023 inspections
07
Asbestos-related diseases led to 4,700 deaths annually
08
Noise-induced hearing loss cases: 26,000 prevalent in construction
09
Vibration white finger affected 1 in 10 construction workers lifetime
10
1.2 million workers exposed to silica dust risk
11
Working days lost to injury: 1.9 million in 2022/23
12
Dermatitis cases: 1,300 new in construction 2022/23
13
Mental health: 15% prevalence of stress/depression
14
PPE non-compliance: 25% in spot checks 2023
15
Scaffolding failures: 20 incidents per year average
16
Excavation collapses: 5 fatal since 2019
17
Training coverage: 85% of workforce certified CSCS 2023
18
Dust exposure controls: 60% effective implementation
19
Lone working incidents: 10% of accidents
Interpretation
Safety Interpretation
While the construction industry tirelessly builds our future, these statistics starkly remind us that it is still laying its own foundation in safety, where a single lethal fall, a lifetime of crippling pain, or a cloud of silent dust can dismantle a worker's world in an instant.
Reference
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APA
Ryan Townsend. (2026, February 13). Construction Industry In The Uk Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/construction-industry-in-the-uk-statistics
MLA
Ryan Townsend. "Construction Industry In The Uk Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/construction-industry-in-the-uk-statistics.
Chicago
Ryan Townsend. 2026. "Construction Industry In The Uk Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/construction-industry-in-the-uk-statistics.
Sources & references
43 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level