New pothole initiative can't make up for major job loss caused by Northern HS2 scrapping, says training expert Essential Site Skills (ESS)

NOTTINGHAM, England, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Construction training provider, Essential Site Skills (ESS), have shared their thoughts on the cancellation of HS2's Northern leg of the project, and how it affects an already unbalanced job market in construction.

"HS2 has been a controversial project since its inception many years ago, but no matter how you look at it, HS2 has provided thousands of jobs within the construction industry," said, Catherine Storer, Executive Director.

While Phase 1 of HS2 carries on, with over 28,000 people working on it, 150,000 potential jobs in construction, engineering, and management have been lost in the wake of Phase 2's scrapping.

"This is in addition to an already turbulent time for construction and infrastructure, whose skills shortage reached 140,000 in July 2023, across building, electrician, and plumbing roles especially.

A drop in the ocean

"The £8bn of funding being relocated to pothole repair is certainly a victory for many disgruntled drivers that face these menaces of the road every day, but in terms of sheer job creation, this represents a drop in the ocean compared to something as far-reaching as HS2 Phase 2 would have," continues, Catherine Storer.

National Highways, the government-owned company that operates the majority of UK highways employs 6,000 onsite workers. This is compared to the 30,000 roles that HS2 reported in March 2022.

"Though a scourge on our public roads, the relocated funding could have gone a lot further to addressing the major construction job shortages that the UK faces, now even more so with Phase 2's cancellation," concluded, Catherine Storer.