The government has just released a 10-year Infrastructure Strategy worth £725 billion. And if you're in construction, engineering, or infrastructure delivery, this changes the game completely.

It’s the biggest infrastructure commitment in decades – spanning everything from decarbonisation projects to transport upgrades, green housing developments, energy resilience programmes, and flood management schemes. The funding's locked in for the long haul, which means unprecedented demand for environmental and sustainability professionals.

The talent scramble has already started

Over the next 24 months, we're looking at some serious project launches. The £1 billion structures fund for bridges, flyovers, and tunnels. The £590m Lower Thames Crossing. Major housing, education, and healthcare infrastructure investments. Each of these needs specialists who can design, assess, and embed sustainability into every stage of delivery.

What does this mean for your recruitment plans? The best environmental impact assessors, sustainability leads, ecological consultants, and net-zero advisors are about to become very popular, very quickly.

We're already seeing this with our built environment clients – demand for retrofit specialists has shot up in recent months, and that's just the beginning.

The skills shortage reality check

The construction industry needs over 250,000 additional workers by 2028. Brexit, low apprenticeship numbers, and an aging workforce aren't helping. Demand is about to explode while the talent pool remains constrained.

The solution is to get ahead of the curve. Invest in training programmes, build partnerships with universities and training providers, and shift to skills-based hiring. Prioritising demonstrable competencies in carbon budgeting, green infrastructure planning, and ecological compliance over traditional qualifications.

What this means for your hiring strategy

The professionals you want to attract care about career development and clear training pathways. They want to work for organisations that take sustainability seriously and part of their core business strategy.

Update your recruitment frameworks by starting to assess skills in carbon budgeting, green infrastructure planning, and ecological compliance. Start to identify candidates with potential and develop these skills internally.

Last year, ‘‘Sustainability Manager’ was LinkedIn's fastest-growing job title. If you haven't bolstered your capability in this space yet, your competitors might already have.

The ESG reality

This strategy makes one thing clear: sustainability isn't a nice-to-have anymore. It's embedded in funding criteria, public expectations, and regulatory compliance. The firms that build environmental expertise now won't just meet government requirements – they'll enhance their reputation, attract investment, and future-proof their business.

The question isn't whether you'll need sustainability expertise – it's whether you'll secure it before your competitors do.

At Principal People, we've been connecting exceptional HSEQ talent with leading organisations for over 35 years. If you're looking to strengthen your environmental and sustainability capabilities, we'd love to help. Because as always, it's all about people.