What is the ECITB Workforce Census?
The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) conducts a Census every three years to provide an up-to-date and detailed snapshot of the engineering construction industry (ECI) and its current workforce.
The ECITB Workforce Census is our most accurate and comprehensive database, telling us how many people work in each sector, in which occupations and where.
We ran our latest Census during May and June 2024 and the survey is now closed. The answers from this will update the database that was created during the 2021 Census.
Reports on the findings of the 2024 Census, including sectoral and regional views, will be published from January 2025 and will be anonymised and aggregated.
Why is the Census important to industry?
“Collecting this type of detailed data gives not only the ECITB, but all our stakeholders, critical insights into the make-up and future direction of our industry and allows for evidence-based, targeted initiatives and interventions.
“This work supports our Leading Industry Learning Strategy, which sets out our ambition to have the strong evidence base needed to address current skills shortages appropriately and prepare for future change.
“Taking part in the Census ensures that ECI companies and their sector footprint are accurately represented in our labour market intelligence work.
“It is the database we use to support discussions and collaborations with government, industrial clusters, training bodies, local enterprise partnerships and other organisations, and helps stakeholders understand the industry to better inform decision-making.”
Andrew Hockey
ECITB Chief Executive
ECITB Labour Forecasting Tool
The Workforce Census directly feeds into our Labour Forecasting Tool (LFT), which was launched in November 2023 and is based on data from the 2021 Census findings.
The LFT predicts trends and potential future demand for workers. It is used by industry stakeholders to better understand the challenges ahead, help define priorities and inform decision-making.
Collecting more responses this year will help us further refine the LFT for the benefit of the ECI and ensure that recent changes in the industry are taken into account to provide robust workforce forecast estimates.
ECITB Workforce Census 2021
The first ECITB Workforce Census was conducted in 2021.
50% of in-scope employers responded in 2021.
The 2021 Workforce Census collected data on 45,351 workers in the industry.
The workforce was spread over more than 1,300 locations in 2021.
The 2021 report highlighted future labour shortages.
Over a third (38%) of the workforce was over 50 and only 14% under the age of 29 in 2021.
Over half (53%) of respondents to the 2021 Census reported they faced recruitment difficulties.
800 different engineering construction occupations were identified in the 2021 Census.
How the Workforce Census data is used
The 2021 ECITB Census supported discussions and collaborations with industrial clusters, training bodies, local enterprise partnerships in England, regional skills partnerships in Wales, the Scottish government, and other organisations such as CITB, ECIA, BCECA, and OEUK.
Here are some examples of studies that have drawn on the ECITB’s Census data:
- Humber Industrial Cluster Plan: Skills analysis & opportunities: This report identifies likely demand for skilled labour and presents recommendations.
- The labour market of tomorrow – jobs, skills, and the transition to a green economy: Report by Data Cymru on behalf of the four Regional Skills Partnerships in Wales.
- Green Jobs Delivery Group: The government, industry, skills and education sector, local government and other key stakeholders are working together to produce a Green Jobs Plan.
- House of Commons report – Delivering nuclear power: This examines how to achieve the ambitions for nuclear energy set out in the Energy Security Strategy.
- National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline 2023: The Infrastructure and Projects Authority’s assessment of infrastructure investment over the next decade.
Sign up for updates
Your information will be used to subscribe you to our e-newsletter.
For more information, please see our Privacy Notice.