Young professionals in construction not satisfied with salary and benefits

• 58% of young professionals unhappy with current salary
• 36% looking to leave their current job in six months

Despite signs of recovery in the construction industry, over half  (58%) of professionals aged under 30 are not satisfied with their current salary and a quarter didn’t see any change in pay as part of their last review.

The findings from CareerStructure.com, which surveyed over 2,000 professionals working in construction, engineering and the built environment to compile its interactive Salary Benchmarker, reveal that over a third of young workers*  (36%) expect to leave their current employer in six months or less.

Salary was found to be the number one priority for young people in their careers, with 64% saying it was very important. This was followed by career prospects and challenging work (both 63%), indicating that young people are looking for employers who can support their development and help them to gain new skills and expertise.

Some 54% said they were not satisfied with their current benefits, with a performance-related bonus and paid overtime the most sought after additions to existing packages. On a more positive note, the majority were satisfied with their current promotion prospects and over half (56%) would rate their employer as good or excellent.

Rob Searle, Commercial Director at CareerStructure.com, comments: “Young workers are the future of the industry so more must be done to convince them why construction and engineering are attractive professions.  The industry is facing an ongoing skills shortage, which means it’s now more important than ever to retain the best young talent.

“While salary will always be important, young professionals are increasingly looking for companies that provide good career prospects as well as opportunities to learn and take on new challenges. Companies must commit to providing good training and benefits packages to both recruit and retain the best talent.”