Infrastructure Pipeline update signals future workforce needs

• The expanded Pipeline details 734 planned projects covering £718 billion of private and public sector investment over the next decade, a significant increase on the value of projects in the first Pipeline.
• This is the first update since the Pipeline's launch and includes brand new analysis on workforce and skills demand broken down by region and sector, better aligning infrastructure delivery with the broader goals of the government's Industrial Strategy and wider skills agenda.
• Delivering projects in the Pipeline will require an estimated annual average construction and infrastructure workforce of between 629,000 and 706,000 over the next five years.

Investors and construction firms can now access a more detailed picture of future infrastructure projects planned across the UK, including for the first time estimates of skills and workforce demand generated by £718 billion of private and public sector investment.

Responding to feedback from industry, the first update of the UK's Infrastructure Pipeline published today gives firms across the construction supply chain new insights to help them invest in skills, capacity and productivity. These insights also ensure suppliers can be ready to deliver the infrastructure projects which are a crucial part of the government's Plan for Change, when they come to market.

The Pipeline now includes an estimate of the future workforce demand needed to deliver planned investment. This will require an estimated annual average workforce of between 621,000 and 697,000 over the next two years and between 629,000 and 706,000 over the next five years. Construction jobs account for over two thirds of this demand, with education and health infrastructure contributing the largest share.

The £718 billion in capital investment over the next decade represents a significant increase in the value of projects in the Pipeline from July 2025. This change is partially due to NISTA obtaining new and updated data from a wider range of providers, including several Mayoral Combined Authorities. Energy remains the sector in the Pipeline with the highest planned investment over ten years (£365 billion).

The expanded dataset is one part of an overall Pipeline redesign aimed at improving the usefulness of the Pipeline to firms as a planning tool. Other changes include the provision of new project metrics on potential investment opportunities including details about the type of investment sought and how much, and the business models used, in line with the government's wider drive to remove barriers to UK competitiveness.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury James Murray said:

We have the right economic plan to build a stronger and more secure economy. Transforming this country's infrastructure is a vital part of that plan and will create high-quality jobs right across the country.

As part of this latest version of the Infrastructure Pipeline, we're also giving the construction sector the detailed picture it needs to invest in a highly skilled workforce that's primed to build the hospitals, schools, railways, reservoirs and renewable energy plants this country needs.

National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority CEO Becky Wood said:

Transforming UK infrastructure needs a three-way collaboration between government, investors, and industry to succeed. The Infrastructure Pipeline is the foundation on which this relationship thrives, and this update now gives investors more granular information about forthcoming investable opportunities they told us they need for their strategic planning.

Our industry partners across the sector can only invest in new skills, capacity and technology with the right data to assess what the Pipeline means in the delivery context. By adding new information on what future workforce demand looks like they can plan with confidence, and the Pipeline is also better placed to support the investment government is already making to address the construction skills gap.

Since its launch in July 2025, the first iteration of the Pipeline has been widely welcomed by businesses across infrastructure. Industry users of the Pipeline have highlighted its use in business planning, enabling data-driven decisions to be made with confidence.

Additional quotes

Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) CEO Milda Manomaityte said:

This updated pipeline marks a significant step forward, giving industry and investors the clarity and certainty ACE members have been asking for. Stronger commercial metrics, richer regional data, and clearer investment models are vital to our sector and provide the confidence for ACE members to plan, invest and drive growth right across the UK.

Enhanced workforce insights and more robust project data demonstrate tangible progress towards a transparent, credible, and delivery-focused programme. Continued momentum in future releases will be key to sustaining investment, supporting jobs, and ensuring infrastructure delivery keeps pace with ambition.

AECOM Europe and India region Chief Executive Richard Whitehead said:

Since its establishment, the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) has provided strong leadership for our industry, including through the publication of a clear 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy and project pipeline. The updated pipeline, unveiled today, represents an important step forward – particularly through the welcome addition of workforce requirements. It will help businesses plan with greater confidence, reduce potential delivery bottlenecks and provide a clearer signal of the skills, investment and partnerships that will be needed to deliver the infrastructure our country will require in the years ahead.

AECOM is proud to have advised on the development of the next iteration of the pipeline and we stand ready to continue supporting government in realising its infrastructure ambitions. The establishment of NISTA, alongside the reforms introduced through the Planning & Infrastructure Act, are clear signals of the government's intent to bring greater structure to the infrastructure system and accelerate delivery. The real test will now be turning this ambition into projects on the ground – and industry is ready to play its part.

Chief Executive of Costain Alex Vaughan said:

Today's update of the Infrastructure Pipeline sends a powerful signal about the UK's long-term infrastructure ambitions. With investment clearly mapped out, business leaders have greater visibility over future projects that will help create a more prosperous, resilient and decarbonised UK. The opportunity now is to ensure this ambition goes hand-in-hand with long-term workforce planning so that the industry has the right skills and people in place for the successful delivery of critical national infrastructure.

Executive Chairman of Mace Group Mark Reynolds, Co-Chair of the Construction Skills Mission Board and the Construction Leadership Council, said:

The new National Construction and Infrastructure Pipeline has already proved invaluable to industry, giving clarity and visibility of workload at a time when confidence in future delivery is so important. We commend NISTA for its achievement and believe the new skills data set will help further; enabling industry and government to establish a demand-led skills system that identifies where and what skills and jobs are required to deliver the pipeline. We look forward to working with NISTA to further develop and refine the pipeline tool; it will be a key part of the work the Construction Skills Mission Board is driving to ensure that every person who wants to join the construction sector is able to find a long-term, sustainable job.

Skanska UK President & CEO Katy Dowding said:

Today's publication of the updated infrastructure pipeline is very welcome, and a clear demonstration of the value governments can drive by engaging with industry to identify and evolve critical infrastructure opportunities. Having a pipeline is good, having funding is even better, but what really stands out for me is the critical link that has been made between pipeline and skills.

By identifying what skills are needed where, and focusing efforts accordingly, government and industry have a roadmap that can really start the shift from policy to delivery. As a member of the Construction Skills Mission Board whose mission is to recruit 100,000 additional construction workers and tackle the skills shortage, I think this sets us on a great path forward. Whilst today's update might not provide a detailed playbook of the infrastructure programme for the next 10 years, it certainly enables businesses like mine to get on the front foot with planning and resourcing for the future.

A great example of that is having clarity on the ambitions and funding for schemes in areas such as the East of England. Here, we see great opportunity for regions that really need committed investment to meet their growth and economic performance ambitions.

Notes

• The Pipeline is available here.
• The Infrastructure Pipeline is the ten-year forward look of investment into major UK capital infrastructure which are under construction, development or at a pre-project stage. It provides details of capital and maintenance costs for infrastructure and construction projects with a total cost of £25 million or more for economic infrastructure, and £15 million and above for social and other infrastructure projects.
• The Pipeline covers projects and programmes, funds and regulatory settlements led and financed by the public and private sectors, and uses data provided by over 48 providers. The Pipeline only includes projects that have been announced, to ensure the Pipeline remains a credible source of information.
• The new skills modelling was designed and developed by a consortium of skills bodies working with NISTA – including CITB, ECITB, NSAR, Energy and Utility Skills and Cogent Skills - and coordinated and analysed by experts at Whole Life Consultants (WLC). It will support wider work assessing the skills requirements and sector skills strategies such as via the Construction Skills Mission Board.
• Managed by the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority, the Pipeline is updated twice a year, with each iteration aiming to add new functionality and data.