Labour demand forecasting
Evidence-based workforce planning for construction and infrastructure
Regional research with CITB
Construction labour & skills studies across the UK
Working with CITB over several decades, WLC Ltd has undertaken detailed assessments of construction demand and supply for Local Enterprise Partnership areas. Here is a selection.
WLC labour forecasting in numbers
Expertise and track record
From project data to labour forecasts
We are leaders in advanced labour demand forecasting, combining novel data analysis techniques with decades of expertise.
Advanced data analysis techniques, built on decades of research.
Trade- and region-specific forecasts with industry-leading accuracy.
Evidence-based workforce planning for projects of any type and scale.
The award-winning Labour Forecasting Tool (LFT)
Developed for the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) by WLC Ltd. Highly Commended in Digital Innovation at the CIOB International Innovation and Research Awards 2014.
You give us
- Start and end dates
- Location
- Project value
That is all the tool needs.
The LFT models
- 10 building and infrastructure project types
- 28 occupational groups
- Multiple scenarios
You get
- A month-by-month forecast
- Trade-by-trade labour demand
- Actionable evidence for clients, contractors and policymakers
Project types covered
Buildings
Infrastructure
Real LFT output
Central London: where commercial workforce demand sits
Labour demand for commercial construction work across 12 central London boroughs in 2023, from our analysis for the City of London’s Skills for a Sustainable Skyline Taskforce: the largest occupational group and the three largest trades.
People required, 2023, commercial work. Source: CITB / WLC Ltd, Skills for a Sustainable Skyline Taskforce labour analysis (2023), produced with the Labour Forecasting Tool.
Local authorities
Plan and negotiate realistic skills and employment commitments backed by evidence.
Developers & contractors
Forecast workforce needs trade-by-trade to manage workforce risks and deliver on time.
Skills & training bodies
Shape training programmes that align directly with future labour demand.
Regional planners
Model overlapping projects to avoid bottlenecks and support long-term strategies.
Trusted by industry leaders
We deliver labour and skills analyses at every scale—from national infrastructure such as HS2 and Heathrow, to borough-level studies in London, regional forecasts across England and Scotland, and international projects like the Southern African Railways Association’s (SARA) workforce demand strategy.
City of London Sustainable Skills
WLC Ltd, in partnership with CITB, carried out the labour-demand and skills-gap analysis for the Skills for a Sustainable Skyline Taskforce, supporting Central London’s goal of a net-zero commercial built environment.
HS2 Labour and Skills Analysis
WLC Ltd provided the critical modelling and labour forecasting expertise to pinpoint how many workers, which skills, and at what stages and locations were needed across every phase of the national high-speed rail programme.
Heathrow Labour Forecasting
WLC Ltd delivered expert labour-demand forecasting, aligning construction plans with workforce availability, apprenticeship targets, and long-term industry needs.
Details available on request
Southern African Railways Association
WLC Ltd carried out a high-level workforce analysis with Crossrail International as part of the UK Green Cities Infrastructure and Energy Programme to help the SARA members shape a skills, employment and education strategy.
Details available on request
Planning a project?
Tell us about it
Share the basics and we'll come back with how we can help, and a proposal.
Let's start the conversation
To explore how we can support your workforce planning, contact our labour forecasting experts: Dr Doug Forbes, [email protected]
Prof Milan Radosavljevic, [email protected]