Industry professionals have expressed doubt over the status of Government infrastructure plans, and the ability of mega projects such as Crossrail to drive employment opportunities.

While only 29 percent felt Crossrail delivered as many job opportunities as promised, more positively, a majority support HS2 and 61 percent believe experience working on the project will make individuals more employable in future. Perhaps because of this opportunity to burnish their CVs, a further 75 percent would be willing to relocate to secure a job working on HS2. This supports the view that expanding the geographic search area could be an effective tactic for employers recruiting for exciting, large-scale infrastructure projects. 

In addition, the study unearthed concern over a sustainability skills gap, with 76 percent of professionals highlighting a dearth of low-carbon skills as an issue for the industry. Only 23 percent of respondents felt the Government is doing enough to support sustainable infrastructure projects. Rob Searle, Commercial Director, CareerStructure.com said: “There is a degree of scepticism the Government’s infrastructure plans are as far-reaching as they should be. However, it must be encouraging for proponents of HS2 to see support for the project from professionals working in the field. With less than a third of respondents stating Crossrail delivered on employment opportunities, we call on the Government to take steps to ensure HS2 meets expectations and boosts jobs.”