Blue collar brain drain to Saudi is harming major infrastructure projects
An exodus of talent from Britain’s infrastructure sector to the Middle East is harming the delivery of major projects in the UK, according to the head of a key labour supplier.
“Certain skills are missing in every level really when you look at it,” the boss of London-listed Hercules, which specialises in supplying labour to the construction industry, said.
“Skilled plant operators are difficult to get, supervision is difficult to get, site management positions are difficult to find,” Brusk Korkmaz told City AM in an interview.
He noted political uncertainty in recent years had made it impossible to plan ahead for long-term infrastructure projects, which often take more than a decade to deliver.
“When you don’t have a start date… everyone is just waiting for each other, everyone is waiting for the start date from the government to able to crack on and upskill the workforce,” Korkmaz said, citing the recent plans for Heathrow’s multi-billion third runway as an example.
Saudi Arabia is in the midst of a massive infrastructure drive as it pivots towards renewable energy. A number of so-called “giga projects” are in the works including the infamous Line, a 170km-long linear city.
There are “huge projects, very ambitious projects in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia as a civil engineer, it really excites me,” Korkmaz said.
“Saudi Arabia is four times bigger than Germany, and 36m people live there. So they are building seven or eight Dubais in different cities, so quite a lot of people are going to Saudi Arabia with attractive packages, tax-free packages.”
It comes as Rachel Reeves places infrastructure at the centre of plans to boost the UK economy.
The government has slammed planning red tape and given the green-light to projects ranging from the Lower Thames Crossing to a host of London airports.
Take the politics out of infrastructure
But the sector has been plagued by criticism for cost overruns and delays, with any skills shortage likely to fuel delivery hold-ups. HS2, the largest major project, is currently billions over budget and has come to symbolise the UK’s inability to deliver schemes on time.
Ministers launched Skills England in July 2024, an executive agency of the Department of Education aimed at addressing skills shortages across the country.
However, industry figures in the infrastructure sector are concerned that while the focus on trades such as bricklaying, carpentry and groundwork are positive, there is a lack of attention given to the specific skills needed on large-scale infrastructure projects.
Korkmaz believes taking “out the infrastructure from the politics” is ultimately the key.
“Then you can have a master plan for 15 to 20 years and deliver all of them. That’s the best way of doing it.”