Labour Availability

The percentage of firms reporting shortage of skilled labour has marginally increased this quarter and is above the level reported in the corresponding quarter of 1997. Of those reporting shortages, 49 per cent reported shortages of bricklayers, 69 per cent of carpenters, 29 per cent of plasterers and 18 per cent of plumbers/mechanical engineers. Shortages have again been recorded across all types of skilled labour and general operatives. (Table 8)

Table 8
Percentage of firms reporting shortages of skilled labour, 1988 - 1998.

	Percent
1988	59
1989	41
1990	17
1991	4
1992	5
1993	6
1994
Q1	7
Q2	16
Q3	33
Q4	24
1995
Q1	17
Q2	22
Q3	26
Q4	22
1996
Q1	16
Q2	28
Q3	31
Q4	-
1997
Q1	32
Q2	38
Q3	47
Q4	46
1998
Q1	41
Q2	42

Table 9
Percentage of firms reporting shortages, by region.

	Bricklayers	Carpenters	Plasterers	Plumbers
Northern	8	17	8	0
North West	12	27	15	9
Yorkshire & Trent	5	20	5	11
Midlands	18	16	12	0
Eastern	38	38	21	15
London	27	44	15	15
Southern	19	27	12	7
South West	28	34	9	4
South Wales	19	24	14	5
TOTAL	20	28	12	7

First Posted: 22 July 1998. Last Updated: 22 July 1998.