Workforce demand data is central to next pipeline, giving investors and industry a clearer view to support long-term planning for skills and investment.
Investors and construction firms can now access a more detailed picture of future infrastructure projects planned across the UK, including for the first time estimates of skills and workforce demand generated by £718bn of private and public sector investment.
Responding to feedback from industry, the first update of the UK’s infrastructure pipeline published on 9 March 2026 gives firms across the construction supply chain new insights to help them invest in skills, capacity and productivity. The insights also ensure suppliers can be ready to deliver the infrastructure projects which are a crucial part of the government’s Plan for Change, when they come to market.
The pipeline now includes an estimate of the future workforce demand needed to deliver planned investment. This will require an estimated annual average workforce of between 621,000 and 697,000 over the next two years and between 629,000 and 706,000 over the next five years. Construction jobs account for over two thirds of this demand, with education and health infrastructure contributing the largest share.
The £718bn in capital investment over the next decade represents a significant increase in the value of projects in the pipeline from July 2025. This change is partially due to the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) obtaining new and updated data from a wider range of providers, including several mayoral combined authorities. Energy remains the sector in the pipeline with the highest planned investment over ten years (£365 bn).
The expanded dataset is one part of an overall pipeline redesign aimed at improving the usefulness of the pipeline to firms as a planning tool. Other changes include the provision of new project metrics on potential investment opportunities including details about the type of investment sought and how much and the business models used, in line with the government’s wider drive to remove barriers to UK competitiveness.
Chief secretary to the treasury James Murray said: “We have the right economic plan to build a stronger and more secure economy. Transforming this country’s infrastructure is a vital part of that plan and will create high-quality jobs right across the country. As part of this latest version of the infrastructure pipeline, we’re also giving the construction sector the detailed picture it needs to invest in a highly skilled workforce that’s primed to build the hospitals, schools, railways, reservoirs and renewable energy plants this country needs.”
National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority CEO Becky Wood said: “Transforming UK infrastructure needs a three-way collaboration between government, investors and industry to succeed. The infrastructure pipeline is the foundation on which this relationship thrives and this update now gives investors more granular information about forthcoming investable opportunities they told us they need for their strategic planning.
“Our industry partners across the sector can only invest in new skills, capacity and technology with the right data to assess what the pipeline means in the delivery context. By adding new information on what future workforce demand looks like they can plan with confidence and the pipeline is also better placed to support the investment government is already making to address the construction skills gap.”
Since its launch in July 2025, the first iteration of the pipeline has been widely welcomed by businesses across infrastructure. Industry users of the pipeline have highlighted its use in business planning, enabling data-driven decisions to be made with confidence.
Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) CEO Milda Manomaityte said: “This updated pipeline marks a significant step forward, giving industry and investors the clarity and certainty ACE members have been asking for. Stronger commercial metrics, richer regional data, and clearer investment models are vital to our sector and provide the confidence for ACE members to plan, invest and drive growth right across the UK.
“Enhanced workforce insights and more robust project data demonstrate tangible progress towards a transparent, credible, and delivery-focused programme. Continued momentum in future releases will be key to sustaining investment, supporting jobs, and ensuring infrastructure delivery keeps pace with ambition.”
AECOM Europe and India region chief executive Richard Whitehead said: “Since its establishment, the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority has provided strong leadership for our industry, including through the publication of a clear ten-year infrastructure strategy and project pipeline. The updated pipeline, represents an important step forward – particularly through the welcome addition of workforce requirements. It will help businesses plan with greater confidence, reduce potential delivery bottlenecks and provide a clearer signal of the skills, investment and partnerships that will be needed to deliver the infrastructure our country will require in the years ahead.”
Executive chairman of Mace Group Mark Reynolds, co-chair of the Construction Skills Mission Board and the Construction Leadership Council, said: “The new national construction and infrastructure pipeline has already proved invaluable to industry, giving clarity and visibility of workload at a time when confidence in future delivery is so important. We commend NISTA for its achievement and believe the new skills data set will help further; enabling industry and government to establish a demand-led skills system that identifies where and what skills and jobs are required to deliver the pipeline.”
Click here to access the updated UK infrastructure pipeline.
