The Arrival Of The Builder’s ‘Thumb’ As Workers Go Digital

Project Work and Other Clients Press releases

Fountainbridge Building siteA digital revolution is taking place within the construction industry with an influx of prospective employees using their tablets and mobile devices to secure their next lucrative position, according to impressive new statistics published by s1jobs.

Statistics show the image of the stereotypical construction worker is increasingly changing – with staff now more likely to be found having lunch with a mug of tea while checking out the news or what their friends are up to online.

With the construction industry seeing a resurgence after the recession, jobseekers are understanding just how important it is to discover new platforms to become a part of the fast changing industry – and to turn themselves into ‘tech savvy’ employees.

Construction job vacancies on s1jobs vastly increased in April 2014 by almost 50% – in comparison to April 2013 – highlighting the rapid resurgence within the job market.

Job seekers are also catching on to this construction boom with more than 46,000 job applications being recorded by s1jobs between January and April 2014 – a significant increase.

More than 35,000 searches for construction vacancies are made on the s1jobs site each month, while 13,500 candidates have looked to maximise their recruitment prospects by posting their CV online on s1jobs.

Gavin Mochan, Head of Sales at s1, said: “The level of online applications we are receiving is signalling a new trend within the industry – showing that construction workers are adapting to new digital technologies that are available to them as they look to advance in their chosen trade.

“Candidates are far less likely to be scanning traditional recruitment processes for their next career move – and far more likely to be accessing job sites online.

“Employers within the construction industry have also started to realise that they have to change their tactics and employ smarter recruitment measures to find the right workers.”

Jennifer Brown – of top construction recruiter Contract Scotland – confirmed the new trend.

She said: “IT literacy is assumed these days rather than requested. Take it from us, we haven’t seen a paper CV in years – I would definitely say it’s becoming a thing of the past”

“Part of our programme to generate new candidates is through advertising and that advertising is now online; the ‘old school builder’ is no more”.

“Gone are the days of the workman in his van reading the newspaper while on lunch. He’s keeping up to date on his phone or tablet. That all means that employers need to adjust their recruitment methods to make sure they are using the correct advertising to search for their next candidate.”

The recent insight to employee habits also comes at an appropriate time for the construction industry – which is seeing a consistent boom throughout 2014.

It has been widely reported that the growth of the industry has been surging – which is paving the way for an influx of potential jobs for construction candidates.

Various housing developments have been springing up all over the country. Likewise, major national events such as the Glasgow Commonwealth Games – has allowed for an influx of contracts for those within the construction industry.

s1jobs is Scotland’s No 1 recruitment platform, attracting more than 600,000 users every month and is used by more than 2,000 companies, including Scotland’s top five Plcs.

s1 also operates websites in the property (s1homes), entertainment listings (s1play) and automotive (s1cars) markets.