Technology is increasingly being used on UK construction sites, but workers say it is unlikely to solve the sector’s ongoing retention crisis.
Once a week, Tayler Quieros walks around a construction site in north London with a HoloBuilder, a small handheld camera which captures 360-degree photos of the site. Ten minutes later, he opens his laptop to compare them with images taken the previous week, identifying evidence of progress or any health and safety risks. It is a small but telling sign of the changing UK construction industry – one that workers also happen to be leaving at pace.
Over the past two decades, an estimated net 300,000 workers have left their job in construction, delaying major infrastructure projects and contributing to the current housing crisis. The question is whether technology can improve conditions fast enough to retain workers, or whether the pressures driving them out run too deep.
Limited opportunities for progression, instability and the constant threat of debilitating injuries are among the main reasons tradespeople give for leaving.
According to recent data, more than half of workers say they would be more likely to stay with a company that significantly increased investment in technology and AI.
David Philip, chair of the Chartered Institute of Building’s digital and innovation advisory panel, explains that this holds true in construction, where technology is playing an increasingly important role. He says it can help increase retention rates by reducing physical strain and injuries, improving working conditions, creating clearer career pathways and offering skilled workers more control over their work.
Once a world solely composed of hard hats, hi-vis vests and manual graft, construction is undergoing a quiet digital revolution – reshaping what it means to work on a modern site.
AI-driven monitoring and hazard prevention are gaining ground in UK construction, helping identify risks and streamline site management. Platforms like Ailytics plug into existing cameras, scanning live footage to detect safety hazards in real time.
With construction consistently recording one of the highest fatality rates of any industry, the software acts quickly to alert supervisors about missing PPE, unauthorised access or proximity to hazardous machinery. Wei Zhuang Tan, CEO of Ailytics, says the impact is “immediate because you’re targeting the unsatisfactory, unsafe behaviours right on the spot”.
But Tan also warns that improving the safety of workers alone isn’t enough to solve the “labour crunch and retain workers”. He says the job needs to be “more sexy and more productive at the same time”, by creating roles in “an office-like environment” that appeal to those seeking less physically demanding work.
Another industry-wide issue is productivity, with output per hour increasing by only 14 per cent from 1970 to 2020. Workers previously spent endless hours searching for information, documentation or data located in disconnected systems. With digital management systems, project information is now stored in one place, streamlining workflows.
At a time when the UK has a shortage of 6.5 million homes, enhancing project planning, improving cost estimations and reducing errors on site are also increasingly critical.
RED construction, an established player in the industry operating across the UK, uses the all-in-one management platform innDex. Quieros, a construction apprentice at the company, says that while this technology has improved efficiency, its adoption is not viable for all companies across the sector.
He points to the example of robotic dogs on construction sites, which can cost between £20,000–£30,000 a piece. “No one’s going to be able to do that if they’re a small contractor […] there will be some sort of disadvantage,” he says.
There are other factors that can ensure labourers keep coming back to work each day. “We do try our best to make it a nice environment to be in,” Quieros says. “When you’re on site, you’re focused on what you’re doing. You don’t want any distractions, but when you’re in the welfare [area], it’s a place to relax and to just take time.”
Jamie Hughes, director at Emeras Developments, has used AI at work since the turn of the year. While it took him some time to get used to the technology, he says “it helps massively on site” with wording, pricing calculations and finding quick answers to urgent queries.
He still remains unsure whether more technology would benefit workers beyond what is currently in place. “Whatever we do is skilled and no matter what, technology can’t learn the skills [you do] with your hands,” he says.
“People are leaving construction because of money. I don’t think technology would decide whether I stayed or left. It would be: is there enough work and enough money within what we can earn?”
The average price of construction materials has risen by more than 37 per cent since the start of 2020. “It costs so much more to make a building than it did 10 years ago,” Quieros says. “There is a lot more risk now than there was ever before.”
Fluctuating costs, he explains, makes contractors hesitant to commit to projects because the prices “could just go anywhere.” Domestic work costs have also increased significantly, which, combined with the cost-of-living crisis, means many households can no longer afford extensions or home improvements that provide labourers with valuable work.
While technology may be helping to mitigate safety risks, streamline workflow and open up new opportunities for career progression, workers suggest it still does little to address the wider structural issues apparent in the industry.
With around 200,000 people entering the industry and 10,000 more than that leaving every year, the industry continues to face high workforce turnover. While industry voices agree new technology has a place on construction sites, its ability to reverse this trend appears, for the moment, to be limited.
