Published Saturday 18 July 2026 · By the JustEng team
Saturday’s briefing rounds up the most significant UK construction and engineering stories from the past few days — and what each one means for engineering recruitment and vacancies across the UK.
Construction insolvencies pass 3,800 as June failures rise
New Insolvency Service data shows 3,805 construction firms failed in the 12 months to June, with 309 insolvencies in June alone — up from 296 in May, though 5% below June 2025. The sector accounted for 17% of all insolvencies in England and Wales, and recent months have seen high-profile administrations including the Ardmore Construction Group and its subsidiaries (Construction News).
Hiring angle: Every contractor failure releases experienced engineers and site staff into the market at short notice, and firms that move quickly on hiring can secure talent that is rarely available. A specialist engineering recruitment agency can help both sides — redeploying displaced candidates and filling urgent engineering vacancies before competitors do.
M42 Junction 6 bridge closure highlights structural engineer jobs demand
National Highways closed the North Bridge at M42 junction 6 near Birmingham Airport from 13 July after repeated breaches of a 7.5t weight limit. Inspections in November 2025 had found concrete damage and corrosion of steel reinforcement, and continued monitoring led to the full closure; the M42 mainline beneath remains open (New Civil Engineer).
Hiring angle: Ageing bridge stock means sustained candidate demand for inspection, assessment and strengthening specialists, and structural engineer jobs in bridges remain among the hardest to fill. Our structural engineering recruitment team tracks this market closely — see our structural engineer salary guide for current benchmarks.
£112M A46 Walsgrave upgrade set to lift civil engineering vacancies
National Highways has begun preparatory works for the £112M upgrade of the A46 Walsgrave junction near Coventry, with overnight closures running from 13 July ahead of main construction this autumn. Contractor Octavius Infrastructure will replace the existing roundabout with a grade-separated junction, due to open to traffic in 2028 (New Civil Engineer).
Hiring angle: Major highways schemes like this drive civil engineering vacancies across the West Midlands, from site engineers and highways designers to temporary works specialists. Candidates weighing a move can browse live engineering jobs UK-wide on our jobs board.
BSR data shows Gateway 2 approvals climbing as remediation accelerates
The Building Safety Regulator’s latest figures show 368 Gateway 2 decisions in the 12 weeks to 28 June, with 284 approvals — a 77% approval rate — while remediation application approvals reached 85%, already ahead of the regulator’s 65% end-of-year target. Median remediation approval time remains around 35 weeks as legacy cases clear the system (Fire Safety Matters).
Hiring angle: As remediation approvals speed up, the talent shortage in fire and façade disciplines bites harder — fire engineer vacancies and façade engineer jobs are being fuelled directly by Building Safety Act workloads, and salaries continue to reflect that scarcity.
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