UK Construction Mid-Year Review 2025: Housing, Civils & New Growth Areas Fueling Jobs Across the Country

As we move past the halfway point of 2025, the UK construction sector is showing real momentum — with growth not just in housebuilding and infrastructure, but also in fit-out & refurbishment and modular/off?site construction. Here's what that means for workers and businesses right now, backed by data and insight.

At Approach Personnel, we’re proud to be supporting clients across the country—on everything from major civils frameworks and new-build housing sites to high-spec refurb projects and MMC rollouts. Our daily conversations with site managers, directors, and contractors give us a clear view of where the market is heading.

Housebuilding

With the government’s ambitious plans to deliver 1.5 million homes, the private and affordable housing sectors are showing steady growth. New sites are coming online in the East Midlands, Yorkshire and parts of the South West. Modular housing and timber-frame schemes are also becoming more popular for speed and cost savings. We’re seeing steady demand for site labourers, bricklayers, machine ops, and housing site managers. According to the ONS, housebuilding helped drive a 3.3% year-on-year rise in construction output by April.

Infrastructure

The newly launched £725 billion National Infrastructure Strategy is already generating movement in energy projects, including wind farms and battery storage; transport upgrades, from highways to rail improvement schemes; and data infrastructure, with growth in data centre construction. These projects are creating demand for groundworkers, plant operatives, steel fixers, site engineers, planners, HSE advisors, and site managers. We’re actively supporting these frameworks with both blue- and white-collar recruitment.

Fit-Out & Refurbishment: Office Revamp Boom

Commercial fit-outs are thriving as businesses invest in better, more sustainable workspaces. Morgan Sindall’s office fit-out subsidiary Overbury is reporting a surge—projecting record profits of around £209?million in 2025, up £24?million from earlier forecasts — driven by a wave of corporate space revamps (coherentmarketinsights.com, thetimes.co.uk). Globally, the interior fit-out market is estimated at US?$72.6?billion in 2025, growing at 8.1% annually (coherentmarketinsights.com). According to JLL, three-quarters of markets saw rising raw material prices and half faced new labour shortages last year—pushing fit-out costs and demand (fmj.co.uk). Fit-out projects—from CAT A to healthcare upgrades—need skilled trades like joiners, decorators, supervisors, and HSEQ specialists. At Approach Personnel, we’re connecting these sites with qualified teams that meet short timelines and high standards.

Modular & Off Site Construction

Off-site construction is no longer experimental—it’s a key part of the UK’s strategy for faster, greener builds. The UK modular construction market is projected to grow at 7–9% CAGR between 2025–2030 (mobilityforesights.com). Globally, modular building is expected to rise from US?$101.7?billion in 2024 to US?$108.6?billion by 2025, with a 6.8% annual growth rate (thebusinessresearchcompany.com). Off-site construction can cut build times by 20–50%, reduce waste by half, and lower defects to below 5% (en.wikipedia.org). This hybrid model needs both factory operatives and on-site installation teams—including crane operators, fixers, and site finishers. Approach Personnel is actively placing people in modular factories and coordinating multi-skilled crews on installation sites.

Why This Matters for Workers

Across the UK, from London to the Midlands, North East to Wales, these growth areas mean high demand for skilled site tradespeople—from joiners and plant operators to finishing teams. White-collar roles are also in demand, including supervisors, safety officers, and project managers who are indispensable in navigating the technical and compliance needs of fit?out and modular projects. At Approach Personnel, we not only fill roles—we help project teams anticipate labour needs, ensure compliance, and support clients across every stage—from planning to handover.

With traditional housebuilding and civils projects continuing to rebound—plus activity ramping up in fit?out and modular construction—the rest of 2025 will be dynamic and opportunity-rich. Approach Personnel are right at the heart of this, placing hundreds of workers each month—from site operatives to technical leads—across all these subsectors and regions.

Ready to accelerate your hiring or job search? Connect with our team to explore roles in housing, civils, fit-out, and modular construction. hello@approachpersonnel.co.uk