Construction BUSINESS

A OnePoll survey commissioned by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in the UK has found that despite an optimistic outlook about the gender pay gap figures across the construction sector, with nearly half (46%) of construction workers predicting the gap will be less than 15% by April 2018, businesses need to do more to tackle gender inequality and sexism in the industry.

With the national average pay gap recorded at 18.1% in 2016, today’s findings suggest the construction sector could lead the way in closing the gap, if the employees’ predictions are correct. Indeed, more than one in ten respondents (12%) think that there will be no gender pay gap at all by April 2018, which marks the end of the UK Government’s mandatory gender pay reporting period. However, this positive sentiment is markedly absent in the nation’s capital, with Londoners in the construction sector predicting an average pay gap of 21%.

Despite a positive outlook towards the pay gap, today’s findings reveal the construction sector has significant steps to take if it is to achieve parity. Nearly a third (30%) of women surveyed think sexism holds them back from pursuing senior roles in construction, while 38% of men believe their skills are better suited to the sector than women.

Nearly half (42%) of those surveyed believe companies need to invest more in training their existing female employees. Equally, those in the sector want to see businesses investing in the future pipeline of talent to build a diverse workforce, with 40% recognising that companies need to invest more in encouraging young girls to pursue a career in construction, so that more women enter the profession.