Balfour Beatty plans 2,000 new UK jobs in next two years

Half of the new intake expected to be through apprenticeships, graduate programmes, internships and trainee roles

Construction behemoth Balfour Beatty has unveiled plans to expand its UK headcount by 2,000 over the next two years.

The firm said its workforce will grow to 16,000, a 30% rise in four years, as it scales up to deliver the nation’s next generation of critical infrastructure.

Philip Hoare, group chief executive at Balfour Beatty, said: “Britain’s infrastructure ambitions will only be realised if the country has the capacity, capability and skills to deliver them.

“Expanding our workforce by 2,000 is a clear vote of confidence in the market. It shows the scale of opportunity ahead and our commitment to investing in the people, projects and technical expertise that will power Britain’s future.”

The company said early-career talent will form a significant part of the recruitment drive, noting that apprentices, graduates, interns and trainees already account for roughly 9% of Balfour Beatty’s UK workforce.

Approximately half of the new recruits are anticipated to come through routes including apprenticeships, graduate programmes, internships and trainee positions.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: “This is exactly what we want to see – a big British company backing Britain and creating 2,000 more jobs.

“We’ve got a huge amount of work to do to get growth in every postcode over the next few years.

“So having British firms investing in people here, and training up the next generation to do those jobs, is really good news.”

Balfour Beatty has bases across the UK, including its Regional Civils arm in Warrington and Power Transmission & Distribution hubs in Derby and Motherwell.