Labour Availability

The percentage of firms reporting shortage of skilled labour has marginally fallen compared to the last survey findings. Of those reporting shortages 52 per cent reported shortages of bricklayers, 60 per cent of carpenters, 29 per cent of plasterers and 27 per cent of plumbers/mechanical engineering services. Shortages were recorded across all categories of skilled labour, (Table 8).

Table 8 Percentage of firms reporting shortages of skilled labour, 1988-1997
	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

Table 9 Percentage of firms reporting shortages by region, 4th Quarter 1997
	Bricklayers	Carpenters	Plasterers	Plumbers
Northern	9	9	18	0
North West	21	17	4	0
Yorkshire & Trent	18	18	16	7
Midlands	13	25	9	16
Eastern	26	29	9	21
London	28	34	21	17
Southern	39	42	16	23
South West	30	35	10	10
TOTAL	24	27	13	12

First posted: 11 January 1999. Last modified: 27 July 1999.