jobfacts

Construction manager

Production managers and directors in construction — SOC 2020 1122

Production managers and directors in construction direct and co-ordinate resources for the construction and maintenance of civil and structural engineering works including houses, flats, factories, roads and runways, bridges, tunnels and railway works, harbour, dock and marine works and water supply, drainage and sewage works.

Also calledSite managerDirectorManagerEngineering managerOperations managerPlant managerand 43 more titles
Typical full-time pay£56,0002025 Provisional
People in the job167,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month3,500↑ 18%on last year · 49th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time construction managers earn between £42,600 and £70,700 a year.

What full-time construction managers earn, 2025
£56,000 typical£32,400lowest 10%£42,60025%£74,500top 20%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£42,600–£70,700)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£32,400
Lowest 20% earn less than£38,500
25%£42,600
Median£56,000
75%£70,700
Top 20% earn more than£74,500
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Many (34%) of construction managers work for themselves. These pay figures only cover employees, so they may not reflect what self-employed construction managers earn.
Typical pay by regionUK median £56,000
London£64,200
South East!£58,500
Scotland!£57,800
West Midlands!£57,700
East of England!£55,200
Yorkshire and The Humber!£53,400
North East!£52,300
North West!£51,400
East Midlands!£50,800
South West!£50,700
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £56,000
London£64,200
South East£58,500 (small sample)
Scotland£57,800 (small sample)
West Midlands£57,700 (small sample)
East of England£55,200 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£53,400 (small sample)
North East£52,300 (small sample)
North West£51,400 (small sample)
East Midlands£50,800 (small sample)
South West£50,700 (small sample)
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £50,400
  • 2024 £53,500
  • 2025 Provisional£56,000
↑ 11% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 3,500 jobs for construction managers are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (4 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20264,297
Jul 20263,700
Jun 2026Not published
May 20263,318
Apr 20263,353
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20263,440
Jan 20263,771
Dec 20252,029
Nov 20254,155
Oct 20253,406
Sept 20253,881
Aug 20253,457
Jul 2025Not published
Jun 2025Not published
May 20253,723
Apr 20252,824
Mar 20253,182
Feb 20254,272
Jan 20252,793
Dec 20241,563
Nov 20242,225
Oct 20242,802
Sept 20243,063
Aug 20243,257
Jul 20243,869
Jun 20243,247
May 20243,539
Apr 20243,619
Mar 20242,751
Feb 20242,861
Jan 20243,444
Dec 20232,362
Nov 20232,845
Oct 20232,644
Sept 20233,056
Aug 20233,206
Jul 20233,457
Jun 20234,892
May 20233,898
Apr 20233,416
Mar 20234,183
Feb 20233,963
Jan 20234,471
Dec 20223,304
Nov 20224,181
Oct 20224,306
Sept 20224,595
Aug 20224,475
Jul 20224,711
Jun 20224,566
May 20225,059
Apr 20223,780
Mar 20224,597
Feb 20224,510
Jan 20225,192
Dec 20213,592
Nov 20214,041
Oct 20214,528
Sept 20214,399
Aug 20214,248
Jul 20215,267
Jun 20214,405
May 20214,241
Apr 20213,906
Mar 20214,862
Feb 20213,590
Jan 20213,425
Dec 20202,581
Nov 20203,139
Oct 20203,088
Sept 20202,601
Aug 20202,338
Jul 20202,036
Jun 20201,749
May 20201,408
Apr 20202,278
Mar 20204,016
Feb 20204,441
Jan 20203,795
Dec 20192,838
Nov 20193,722
Oct 20194,237
Sept 20194,261
Aug 20194,500
Jul 20194,667
Jun 20193,987
May 20194,265
Apr 20192,829
Mar 20193,415
Feb 20193,334
Jan 20194,151
Dec 20182,594
Nov 20183,190
Oct 20183,329
Sept 20183,389
Aug 20183,193
Jul 20183,142
Jun 20183,257
May 20183,552
Apr 20183,014
Mar 20183,715
Feb 20183,080
Jan 20183,893
Dec 20172,632
Nov 20173,599
Oct 20173,766
Sept 20173,977
Aug 20174,416
Jul 20174,733
Jun 20175,638
May 20175,158
Apr 20174,415
Mar 20174,908
Feb 20173,980
Jan 20174,764
Is there a shortage of construction managers?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
34%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for production managers and directors, which includes construction managers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London1,457
Manchester283
Birmingham223
Bristol, City of206
Leeds197
Glasgow City139
Somerset123
North Yorkshire120
Nottingham98
Oxford96
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where construction managers are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 283 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from Romania, Ukraine, France, ranking it 56th of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of construction managers
1.2%!
16%!
25%
27%
26%
5.4%!
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
16–241.2% (small sample)
25–3416% (small sample)
35–4425%
45–5427%
55–6426%
65+5.4% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent37%
Higher education below degree6.7%
A levels or equivalent28%
GCSEs or equivalent17%
Other qualifications!6.4%
No qualifications!2.7%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent37%
Higher education below degree6.7%
A levels or equivalent28%
GCSEs or equivalent17%
Other qualifications6.4% (small sample)
No qualifications2.7% (small sample)

Main employers: construction of residential and non-residential buildings (44%), construction of other civil engineering projects nec (8.3%), development of building projects (5.1%), construction of roads and motorways (3.1%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
37%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work
Self-employed
34%
of people in the job

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

University

You'll usually need a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in a subject like:

  • building studies or building engineering
  • surveying or civil engineering
  • construction engineering
  • construction site management
  • estimating

Find out about courses and universities accredited by the Chartered Institute of Building.

Courses are likely to include topics like project management, economics, IT and accounting.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do an apprenticeship, for example:

  • Construction Site Management Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship
  • Design and Construction Management Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship

These typically take between 3 and 4 years to complete, and are a mix of learning in the workplace and studying at an approved university.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

You may be able to move into this job after gaining several years' experience in another construction industry role, such as:

  • estimator
  • building technician
  • surveyor
  • site supervisor
Apply directly

You could apply directly for jobs if you've got several years' management experience in a related industry, like civil engineering.

What you’ll need

  • have a full driving licence

Registration and professional bodies

Registration
  • you'll need a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card or equivalent to train and work on a construction site
Professional and industry bodies

You could join the Chartered Institute of Building, for professional recognition, to build your network of contacts and to hear about professional development opportunities.

Further information

You can find out more about becoming a construction manager from:

  • Go Construct
  • Chartered Institute of Building

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for construction manager. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • liaises with other managers to plan overall production activity and construction activities, sets quality standards and estimates timescales and costs
  • receives invitations to tender, arranges for estimates and liaises with client, architects, Chartered architectual technologists and engineers for the preparation of contracts
  • plans, directs and co-ordinates the construction and maintenance of civil and structural engineering works, including demolition, pipelines and pilings
  • receives reports upon work in progress to ensure that materials and construction methods meet with specifications and statutory requirements and that there are no deviations from agreed plans

Skills

  • advise on construction materials
  • apply safety management
  • assess construction compliance
  • calculate needs for construction supplies
  • communicate with construction crews
  • ensure compliance with legal requirements
  • identify construction materials from blueprints
  • identify customer's needs
  • interpret technical requirements
  • manage contracts
  • oversee construction project
  • plan construction of houses
  • prepare construction documents
  • review construction projects

Knowledge

  • budgetary principles
  • building materials industry
  • civil engineering
  • construction equipment related to building materials
  • construction industry
  • construction product regulation
  • cost management
  • project management

Suits people who like

  • Leading and persuading
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for corporate managers and directors, a group of 20 jobs that includes construction managers.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 3%about 78,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.4 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

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