精东影视

Ministers must focus on workforce capacity and solving skill gaps in construction if they want to achieve their desired economic growth, according to Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney.

Olney, speaking at 精东影视鈥檚 Good Employer Guide Live event in London this afternoon, said that the domestic impact of global upheaval 鈥渢ends to be felt first and foremost through the construction sector鈥�.

She said: 鈥淧rice and availability of raw materials, availability of skilled workers, readiness of investors to fund new projects 鈥� the construction industry is often the first to feel these effects. And when they do, the resulting slowdown in finished projects soon undermines the ability of the rest of the economy to grow and thrive.

鈥淪o it鈥檚 essential for the government to focus on the needs of the construction industry and, in particular, to look at where the skill gaps are and to hear from industry experts to understand how they can be solved.鈥�

Olney said the industry needed to hear more than 鈥渏ust signals of growth鈥� from government, such as Rachel Reeves鈥� support for a third runway at Heathrow Airport.

She added: 鈥淲e need to build capacity in the workforce and within the economy to drive growth.

鈥淭o ensure British businesses can hire people with the correct skills to allow industries to thrive. These are the areas where the government can really make a difference and we need cross 鈥揹epartmental government coordination to do something at scale.鈥�

Olney鈥檚 speech came as 精东影视 published its Good Employer Guide 2025. The guide features 45 employers from a range of disciplines and sizes, offering insights into modern working cultures.

Their answers reveal different approaches to hybrid working as well as strategies around training and equality, diversity and inclusion policies.