women in

construction

the race to
gender equality.

human forward.
women remain

under-represented.

In today’s globally competitive To drive change through the ranks, the status quo
economy, the value of nurturing high needs to shift, enabling a more inclusive, diverse
Women fall behind early.
The survey revealed 43% of
of organisations
performers has never been greater.
and gender equal workforce in the years to come.
With women comprising of just under 20% of the organisations do not actively monitor don’t monitor

43
With the demand for talent at an all-time high, savvy
directly employed construction workforce our report
also shows they have been overlooked for the top
pay equality.
This is a cause for concern as, according to ONS
gender pay
business leaders in the construction, property,
engineering and rail industries are enhancing their
jobs in construction.*3 However, a diverse workforce (Office for National Statistics) statistics, women in gaps in their
workforce to keep ahead of some of the largest
allows the best talent to rise to the top, regardless
of gender, race, ethnicity, cultural background or
construction and building trades are paid on average
14% less than men who work in the same job. The gap organisations *4
projects we have seen in recent times. From
beliefs. rises to 22% further up the career chain for women in
completion of large infrastructure projects such as
senior or supervisor roles.
Crossrail and the Northern Line Extension to football
stadiums, listed-building refurbishments and large
With nearly half of businesses not monitoring the
commercial projects, having the right leadership and
gender pay gap, organisations should bring this
management capability is more important than ever.
to the forefront of their workforce management
strategies. In April 2018, government legislation
will come into effect for 9,000 of the largest firms,

Key Angel Meadows - Manchester

Aykon London One - London
requiring them to publish data on the gender pay
gap within their organisation. By analysing and
Promotions and equality.
Out of 1,200 people that have experienced gender
projects Battersea Power Station phase 2 - London
Palace of Westminster refurbishment - London
understanding this information, firms will be better
equipped to ensure equality of pay in line with the
discrimination (33%), 60% were women. Three
quarters (73%) of women said they felt they had been
in 2018 *1 Capital Square - Edinburgh government’s aspirations. *5 passed over for projects because of their gender and
not their skills, compared to just 27% of men. This
strongly suggests that across the industry, women
Normalising the female leader. are typically not being given the same opportunities
It has been well documented that women remain About the research. When asked how having a female manager would
under-represented in the construction industry to be involved as their male counterparts.
In January 2018, Randstad impact construction workers’ jobs, an overwhelming
despite positive advances in recent years, a prime
example being more women in STEM related
surveyed more than 5,400 93% said that it would either stay the same or have a Social events for all.
apprenticeships in 2017 than 2016 (6% growth). *2 construction, property, engineering positive effect. Only 7% of workers felt that it would More than eight in ten women surveyed felt left out
and rail professionals to find out worsen. This suggests that there is an openness in and excluded from male orientated conversations
There remains a pressing need to do more to
the industry towards having a female manager. and social events. In a more inclusive world, social
encourage a commitment to gender diversity in the key barriers, limitations and
events or group initiatives would be made more
the workplace and thus attract more women into challenges that women are facing Just under half of respondents (49%) said they had
the industry and enable a smoother path to senior widely available and would be a lot less likely to be
on the path to senior leadership. never worked with a female manager. The key to perceived as ‘male activities’.
leadership.
finishing a project on time and to budget is often
Our research shows there are blind spots at
down to management. Already an industry lacking
skilled workers, we cannot afford to miss out on
8 out of 10 women
organisations and this is having a direct impact on
the speed of change. We cannot solve problems
talent due to a lack of awareness. It is important for felt left out of
that we do not clearly see or understand.
organisations to attract a wide and diverse range
of talent into the industry, ensuring a balanced
conversations and
workforce. *6 social events.
the workplace can
be challenging
A call for female role models. Encouraging change.
Just under half (45%) of women Our survey asked what organisations are
indicated that a lack of senior female currently doing to remove gender bias; here

especially
role models was a barrier to progression. were the most adopted initiatives.
Having women that have been through similar
experiences, who have overcome obstacles and
22%
for women.
successfully achieved may inspire those trying to do raise profile of existing female role models
the same thing as well as those who never before
considered a career in construction. They could serve
as mentors and coaches as opposed to offering more
formalised and structured training and workshops.
do work in schools to help 22%
Lack of strategy compromising the path
to the top.
Creating a clearly defined strategy for developing staff
offer career advice
18%
Our research has identified a number of Women in high places. is potentially a greater issue than gender bias. One
in five organisations have never promoted a woman
factors that are limiting the retention and According to our research, one in every five board
run specific campaigns to bring
progression of aspiring female leaders. members in construction is a woman while FTSE
(Financial Times Stock Exchange) 100 boards
to a senior position and without the right support,
encouragement and development opportunities, women into the industry 15%
Employers need to challenge the status quo and be
comprise of 28% (1 in 4) female members. This has women are likely to miss out on opportunities.
supportive of a cultural shift in work behaviour to
ensure the right balance. significantly increased in the last eight years with remove gender or names
2010’s figure sitting at 12.5% but the construction Talented professionals need to be in communication
12%
1
from applications or CVs
industry is still playing catch up with other sectors. with their employer about their personal career path,
inappropriate comments and companies need to be sure that they understand
Construction News revealed in 2017 that since 2014,
from a male colleague their workforce, in order to offer the right leadership
the number of female board members has dropped
Perception could be a large part of the

2
and a number of female CEOs have left their post, and development opportunities.
passed over for being replaced with male counterparts.
problem.
promotion Nearly three quarters (74%) of women in our survey Nearly a quarter (22%) of businesses raise the profile
were not aware of any initiatives that help women of some of their most senior women. This helps to

3
encourage and motivate aspiring female professionals to
overlooked for important Company size to rally a change. progress into senior positions suggesting employers
need to improve at offering programmes and achieve their goals.
Even though it is well documented that fewer
projects encouraging involvement.
women work in construction than men, 62% of
Starting at the grassroots level, it is important to
The real concern for women working in construction smaller business (1-49 employees) do not have a
Nearly one third (30%) of organisations promoted encourage more women into the sector at a school
roles is suffering from unconscious bias. Biases are female board member. A change of mindset at
a woman into a senior position last year, which and college age. Again, just under a quarter (22%) of
influenced by our background, cultural environment these organisations would help to evolve and ensure
suggests the majority do not provide opportunities companies do work in local schools, and offer careers
and personal experiences. We may not even be their business is seen as a fair and equal employer.
for women to progress. If companies showed that advice to young people. Encouraging young people and
aware at the time, and even more so not aware of the By making a visible commitment to diversity with
after development training there are roles to fill then especially women into STEM subjects will go some way in
impact. sustained actions throughout the organisation, a
that would go some way to offer encouragement to helping bridge the gap in the future.
cultural change could be just on the horizon.
women at all levels of the organisation.
Research shows that unconscious bias can heavily According to “Girls into STEM”, the UK needs 100,000
influence recruitment and selection decisions. In Organisations of all levels should look beyond their
current and previous CEOs/C-suite members and What would encourage more women to new graduates in Science, Technology, Engineering and
order to bring this to the front of hiring managers’
consider candidates with the right expertise and skills join the industry? Mathematics every year until 2020 just to maintain current
minds, organisations should upskill and train their employment numbers. Employers could work closely with
layers of management in how to identify what the regardless of gender.
local schools and communities to promote the career
risks and warning signs of unconscious bias are. *7 opportunities that working in construction, property,

18% engineering and rail sectors could bring them in the

future.
equal
The industry has changed for the better in my 20 years in construction. pay
Bigger companies don’t want to be seen as they used to. But attitudes on 15% 15% When looking at the recruitment process, to combat
unconscious bias, 12% of organisations remove names
site still remain and it’ll take a few years to bridge the gap. The industry flexible culture
doesn’t tend to push the women workers it has and it isn’t advertised hours change 12% and/or gender from CVs; thus anonymising applicants.
This is a positive step forward. Language in job
enough from a school age so there are still big differences in mentality.“ better 10% descriptions could also be crafted to speak to a wider
Julie Harris, site manager, Pennyfarthing Homes. child mentoring ranging audience, ensuring a more inclusive recruitment
care
8% and selection process.

career
advice
advice from
the top
There are enough events and initiatives going on
in the industry, in many different sectors, so the
door is definitely open for women. In the six years
of working with construction firms, I have seen an
improvement around women in construction. The
key is in building rapport and trusting relationships.”
Pam Sherwood, Health and Safety manager

At a time when equality and diversity is making leaps

forward, construction is still playing catch up in some
areas. Companies need to band together to build an
environment that nurtures and rewards successful,
hard-working women to move up the career ladder.
Though the number of women entering construction
is slowly rising, retention is a key area that needs
development. Organisations that cannot retain, develop
and enhance their female workforce will be missing out
on key skills, new ideas and ways of working to help
keep the industry driving forward.”
Owen Goodhead, Managing Director, Randstad CPE

Construction has always had a ‘macho’, male-dominated

road to
connotation. In over 10 years of construction recruitment
I have seen more and more women entering the industry
and have seen women promoted into senior positions,
which is refreshing as it shows the industry is beginning
to remove barriers. Businesses need to analyse why
women would leave the industry. Most importantly, we all

equality.
need to make sure that construction is a career path that
both women and men enjoy being a part of.”
Sarah Sidey, Head of Strategic Accounts, Randstad CPE
get in touch.
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birmingham@randstadcpe.co.uk glasgow
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reading@randstadcpe.com randstad.co.uk
2nd floor, forum 4 parkway 0203 680 0600
london@randstadcpe.co.uk
southampton
solent business park 2nd floor, forum 4 parkway
fareham, po15 7ad solent business park links to stats within this report
0148 956 0120 maidstone
fareham, po15 7ad
eng@randstadcpe.com ground floor, 2 county gate
01489 560 200 *1 https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/analysis/news-analysis/10-projects-to-watch-in-2018/10025751.article
stacey’s street
southampton@randstadcpe.co.uk
maidstone, me14 1st *2 https://www.wisecampaign.org.uk/resources/2017/11/women-on-stem-apprenticeships-201516
0162 235 7230
maidstone@randstadcpe.co.uk
welwyn garden city *3 https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/data/industry-barometer/women-in-construction-what-do-the-numbers-say/10017870.article
1st floor, rosanne house
parkway *4 https://visual.ons.gov.uk/explore-the-gender-pay-gap-and-test-your-knowledge/

welwyn garden city, al8 6hg *5 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42918951

01707 378 378
welwyn@randstadcpe.co.uk *6 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/11/16/skills-shortage-tightens-around-uk-construction-sector/

*7 https://www.ecu.ac.uk/guidance-resources/employment-and-careers/staff-recruitment/unconscious-bias/
construction
property
& engineering.