Building a fulfilling career: 7 in 10 young adults in Ireland have considered pursuing a role in the construction industry

New Chadwicks research reveals attitudes that young adults, parents of young adults, and tradespeople have towards pursuing a career in the construction sector

Architect and broadcaster Hugh Wallace partners with Chadwicks to drive awareness of the benefits and opportunities to working in Ireland’s construction industry

Key findings

• 7 in 10 young adults (16–24-year-olds) have considered pursuing a career in the trades
• Doing a practical job (57%), as well as the creativity (36%) and the flexibility the job offers (32%) are the most appealing aspects of a career in construction to young adults
• 85% of parents of young adults see the benefits of a career in construction for their children
• Another 67% would be happy if their child pursued a career in construction
• 42% of tradespeople say low pay is the biggest misconception about their line of work
• Being able to work anywhere in the world (41%), the fun and creative aspects of the job (37%) and excellent pay (35%) are for tradespeople, the best things about their career

New research from Chadwicks, Ireland’s leading builders’ merchants, reveals that 70% of people aged 16-24 years have considered a role in the industry. Most parents of young adults² (85%) see the benefits of a career in construction for their children, and in fact, over two thirds (67%) would be happy if their child pursued a career in the sector.

For the Chadwicks study, 250 parents of young adults were surveyed, as well as 200 people aged between 16-24, examining their attitudes towards pursuing a career in construction, ahead of the results of the 2024 Leaving Certificate being issued later this week.

At a time of year when many young adults are perhaps thinking about their future careers most, Chadwicks has partnered with architect and broadcaster Hugh Wallace to raise awareness of the benefits of working in the trades.

In addition to the parents and young adults polled, 150 tradespeople were also surveyed for the study, and the findings reveal the many advantages they have experienced with the career path they have chosen. Demonstrating its commitment to fostering growth in the sector, Chadwicks recently announced a new partnership with Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), investing €250,000 in the development of Ireland’s first Design and Construct Centre at the university’s Grangegorman campus. The new state of the art space has been designed to meet future architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) educational needs, and produce work-ready graduates.

Chadwicks is also a key sponsor of WorldSkills Ireland, an event aimed at educating young adults about apprenticeships and careers in the trades. Chadwicks hopes that these partnerships and the research findings will increase young adults’ interest in pursuing a career within the sector.

Parental guidance

Despite many parents polled saying they would be happy if their child did pursue a career in the trades, 73% have not actively encouraged their child to do so. The two main reasons why are evenly split between the lack of opportunities for career progression (50%) and the perception that the industry is male dominated (50%). Of the 25% of parents polled who have a child that has pursued a career path in construction, 85% of those said they were happy with the career they chose.

Constructing the perfect job  

Young adults polled share similar concerns to parents about a construction industry career path, and in addition, they believe that it can be a very lonely career (27%), as well as, like parents, perceive that it’s a male dominated industry (26%) and there is a lack of career progression (21%).

Despite this, 70% have considered a career in trades before, and the aspects of it that appeal to them most is doing a job that is very practical (57%), being able to express their creative side (36%) and the flexibility that it offers (32%).

When tradespeople polled were asked what the best things about their job were, their response would suggest that their career is far from a lonely one! The ability to work anywhere in the world (41%), the fun they have socialising with others, and creativity they experience ‘on the job’ (37%) and the excellent pay (35%) were their favourite aspects of the role.

Breaking down the myths

When tradespeople polled were asked why they pursued a career in construction, interestingly, the most common reasons perhaps directly dispel some parents and young adults’ concerns. Chances to make very good money (43%) and opportunities for career progression (40%) were the top two reasons that tradespeople pursued the career they did. Regarding the misconceptions that tradespeople believed others have about their work, the pay being generally low (42%), the perception that there are hardly any females (41%) and the job being too physical (40%) are most common.

Commenting on the findings, Patrick Atkinson, CEO, Chadwicks Group said: “At Chadwicks, it is critical to us that we use our market leading profile within the industry to support and with foster growth in the construction sector. In addition to our partnership with TU Dublin and sponsorship of WorldSkills Ireland, platforms such as Higher Options provide young adults with information and unique exposure to the many diverse job opportunities that exist in the industry.

“The research shows the need to continue to advocate for the sector and give tradespeople a platform to help make construction jobs more attractive and inclusive to young adults from diverse backgrounds and genders in Ireland”.

Hugh Wallace added: “I am delighted to support Chadwicks in promoting job opportunities in the construction industry to young adults, many of which await their Leaving Cert results this week and have big career decisions to make! I work with tradespeople in my line of work each day and see first-hand what those researched say are the best parts of the job, as I experience them too – from the fun we have together on-site, the creativity to the flexibility – the benefits are in abundance.  With such a high demand for construction projects here in Ireland and a varied range of job opportunities (including non-physical off-site roles such as manufacturing, planning and design in addition to on-site jobs), the construction industry provides the perfect foundation to a fulfilling career full of progression opportunities.”