Managing Diversity in Construction: What Leaders Must Do Now
Barbra Carlisle • February 12, 2026
Equity and Inclusion Is How You Future‑Proof Your Business
Construction and engineering businesses across the UK are facing acute skills shortages. There are over 140,000 vacancies currently unfilled.
Meanwhile, 750,000 workers are set to retire by 2036, stripping the sector of vital experience.
If you’re a leader in the construction and engineering sectors, diversity is no longer just a HR project.
Its a weapon for good. Its not about woke. It is about creating and building a sustainable and thriving business.
The Truth: The Sector Is Still Behind
According to the Office for National Statistics and CITB when we look at women alone:
- Women make up just 15% of the overall construction workforce
- Women account for only 2% of on‑site roles
- Women hold just 7% of senior leadership roles
Ethnic diversity is similarly low:
- Only 6% of the UK construction workforce identifies as Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME)
That means most construction businesses are drawing talent from less than 20% of the potential labour pool.
What Leaders Don’t Realise: Diversity Directly Impacts Productivity
A broader workforce isn’t just morally right it’s commercially smart.
More diverse teams bring:
- Better problem‑solving
- Higher retention
- Stronger client relationships
- Faster innovation
- A wider pool of future managers
And in an ageing workforce (35% over 50), business continuity depends on attracting younger, more diverse entrants.
Why Diversity Efforts Often Fail
Cultural insights from Tim Walder, my guest on The Unlikely Executive podcast reinforce a key leadership blind spot:
“I try to understand what makes people tick.”
Most leaders don’t lack goodwill, they lack understanding.
Research shows persistent barriers:
- Cultural stereotypes
- Unconscious bias
- A lack of visible role models
- Training that isn’t linked to actual jobs
- Systems that dont promote equity leading to
- Behaviours that exclude
Meanwhile, women account for over 15% of new apprentices, but many still leave early due to culture and lack of support.
What You Do Now
1. Make inclusion a leadership skill — not an HR task
Your managers shape the daily culture.
If they don’t model inclusive behaviours, nothing else sticks.
2. Create visible pathways for women and minority talent
This includes:
– Fair promotion routes
– Mentoring
– Clear criteria for progression
– Leadership shadowing opportunities
These practices directly address the “no role model” problem.
3. Fix the basics on site
Simple measures shift culture fast:
– Clean, accessible welfare facilities
– Proper PPE for women
– Zero‑tolerance for banter that crosses the line
– Strong induction for new recruits
4. Modernise your recruitment pipeline
Tap into the 240,000 apprentices the UK needs over the next decade.
Focus on attracting women, younger workers, and career‑switchers.
5. Use flexible roles strategically
Post‑pandemic flexibility is a major reason women now enter managerial and technical roles in greater numbers.
Adopt it deliberately not occasionally.
Diversity Is How You Future‑Proof Your Business
The skills shortage isn’t going anywhere.
But the businesses that adapt fastest, with broader, more resilient, more diverse teams, will win the contracts, deliver with fewer delays, and build the most credible leadership pipelines.
You don’t need a diversity strategy full of buzzwords.
You need a culture that keeps good people — and attracts new ones.
If you want help building that capability in your leadership team, let’s talk.
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