Fresh site scan data of skills card-carrying workers shows the workforce is getting younger and better qualified, challenging long-held fears about an ageing site workforce.

New figures from the Construction Skills Certification Scheme reveal that now more than one in four CSCS cards is held by workers under 30.

It is the first tangible evidence that the industry is successfully attracting young talent after years of concern about a looming greying workforce time bomb.

The figures mark an eight-percentage-point rise in the share of younger workers entering the industry over four years, suggesting construction is attracting more early-career entrants than widely believed.

CSCS said the Smart Check system provides a near real-time snapshot of the workforce actually arriving on site, rather than relying on traditional surveys or estimates.

The shift suggests that more workers arriving on construction projects today are operating at higher competency levels than just a few years ago.

When records began in 2023, only 27% of scanned cards belonged to skilled or advanced workers. By 2025 that figure had climbed to more than 39%.

Sean Kearns, Group Chief Executive of CSCS, said: “It is incredibly positive to see that young people are choosing construction as a career.

“Now the focus must be on sustained upskilling and retaining this talent across the industry, ensuring we develop a workforce that is adaptable, futureproof and ready to support long-term growth.”