The survey of 2,000 UK employees, carried out by Randstad, showed that across all sectors an average of 23% of employees reported feeling insecure in their jobs. The figure falls to 18% in the construction industry.
Only finance and wholesale (both 17%), and hospitality workers (13%) reported feeling more secure. IT and the arts (both 32%) had the highest number of staff who felt insecure in their roles.
Owen Goodhead, managing director of Randstad Construction, Property and Engineering, said job security was a positive force in driving productivity in the sector. He added this was not all good news for construction, with a skills shortage being one of the reasons workers weren't feeling pressure in their roles.
"There is a lack of talent knocking on the doors of their employers," he said. "Job security through lack of competition is unsustainable and needs to be addressed for the long-term health of the industry."
Government investment
The Government is funding a UK training academy for the construction industry, which will be opened by infrastructure group Balfour Beatty. The Government's Employer Ownership of Skills scheme will provide the £4.4 million investment, which Balfour Beatty has pledged to match.
Andrew McNaughton, Balfour Beatty CEO, said: "The academy will offer pre-employment programmes to give young people and the unemployed a taste of the industry and then onto apprenticeships or jobs."
Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, revealed that pay and reward for construction workers is less positive. "In terms of their pay packets, they are one of the groups suffering the most," he said. "The average salary for construction workers fell 2.8% over the year to February, making it one of the most declining UK sectors."
