Our Managing Director Peter Forshaw was recently asked to share his insights into the workforce issues surrounding high-rise building remediation with the IWFM's Facilities Magazine. You can read this article on facilitatemagazine.com HERE.
From Peter's perspective, the current building safety challenge is symptomatic of a much deeper issue within the UK labour market. Rather than being caused solely by increased demand following regulatory reform, it reflects a long-standing imbalance in which highly skilled professionals are consistently drawn away from the public sector by more attractive opportunities elsewhere.
In Peter's view, the shortage of qualified fire engineers, building surveyors and building safety specialists is not an isolated problem—it is the result of years of underinvestment in specialist talent, coupled with a recruitment market that increasingly favours private-sector employers.
"The workforce shortage in this instance mirrors a wider trend we've seen across many specialist disciplines," says Peter. "Highly skilled professionals are increasingly choosing private-sector careers because the opportunities are simply more attractive."
Research highlights the scale of the issue. Fewer than 30 fully competent fire engineers are currently employed across England's Fire and Rescue Services, while fire safety and building protection staff account for just 2.7% of the workforce.
These are highly specialised roles that require years of education, professional development and practical experience. Yet just as organisations invest in developing these individuals, many are successfully recruited into private consultancies where salaries, career progression and working conditions are often significantly more competitive.
Peter believes this trend is becoming increasingly difficult for public organisations to reverse.
"In my experience, the private sector is generally able to offer more competitive salaries, clearer career progression and greater flexibility. That makes attracting and retaining specialist talent extremely challenging for many public-sector organisations."
He also believes perception plays an important role.
"Whether entirely accurate or not, many candidates perceive public-sector careers as offering tighter pay structures, greater bureaucracy and fewer opportunities for progression. Those perceptions inevitably influence career decisions."
Unlike many professions experiencing skills shortages, building safety specialists cannot simply be recruited or retrained within a matter of months.
The expertise required to assess complex buildings, interpret evolving legislation and manage life-critical safety risks takes years to develop.
"The training requirements for building safety professionals are, quite rightly, extremely rigorous," Peter explains.
"Becoming a qualified fire engineer or building safety specialist doesn't happen overnight. It requires years of education, practical experience and professional accreditation. While those standards are essential for protecting public safety, they inevitably create a significant lag between demand and the availability of qualified professionals."
That delay becomes particularly problematic when regulatory changes or national remediation programmes generate sudden increases in demand.
"The result is a slow-moving talent pipeline. Vacancies remain open for longer, remediation projects take longer to complete and costs inevitably increase as organisations compete for a very limited pool of experienced professionals."
The issue extends well beyond building safety alone. The Chartered Institute of Building estimates that the wider construction sector faces a shortage of around 250,000 workers, while the National Fire Chiefs Council has highlighted that almost two-thirds of buildings within the Government's remediation programme remain incomplete, with workforce shortages identified as a significant contributing factor.
While recruitment will always play an important role, Peter believes the long-term solution lies in developing a stronger and more sustainable talent pipeline.
"In my opinion, addressing these workforce shortages ultimately comes down to attracting, developing and retaining the right people."
In the short term, organisations may need to adopt more targeted recruitment campaigns, improve reward packages and explore accelerated training or accreditation pathways where appropriate.
However, lasting change will require much greater investment across the profession.
"Longer term, we need to build a much stronger and more diverse pipeline of talent. That means expanding apprenticeship opportunities, strengthening partnerships between employers, universities and professional bodies, and making qualification routes more accessible without compromising professional standards."
Peter believes the building safety profession has become increasingly attractive following recent regulatory changes, but unless the supply of skilled professionals increases alongside demand, workforce shortages are likely to remain one of the biggest barriers to delivering safer buildings across the UK.
"As a specialist recruiter, we're seeing demand continue to grow across fire safety, compliance and building safety disciplines. The challenge isn't finding opportunities—it's finding enough suitably qualified professionals to fill them. Unless that changes, competition for talent will only intensify."
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