Published Saturday 25 July 2026 · By the JustEng team
Welcome to Saturday’s UK industry briefing. From record contractor results to rising insolvencies and a shift in cladding policy, here are the verified stories moving the sector this week — and what each one means for engineering recruitment and vacancies across the UK.
Morgan Sindall posts record first half as construction revenue jumps 18%
Morgan Sindall reported record interim results on 23 July, with group revenue up 8% to £2.56bn for the six months to 30 June and adjusted pre-tax profit up 21%. The construction division was the standout, with revenue up 18% to £742m and a secured order book of £12.2bn, helped by ongoing government investment commitments (Construction News).
Hiring angle: Order books of this size ripple through entire supply chains, intensifying candidate demand for site engineers, project managers and commercial staff. Employers competing with tier-one contractors for delivery talent should expect upward pressure on salaries — browse live engineering jobs UK to benchmark the market.
Gateway 2 approvals climb to 77% as remediation decisions hit 85%
The Building Safety Regulator’s latest figures show 368 Gateway 2 decisions in the 12 weeks to 28 June 2026, of which 284 were approvals — a 77% approval rate. Remediation applications for existing buildings did even better, with approvals reaching 85%, already ahead of the regulator’s 65% end-of-year target (Construction Magazine).
Hiring angle: As stalled remediation schemes finally clear the regulator, expect a fresh wave of fire engineer vacancies and demand for façade engineer jobs as projects mobilise. Specialist fire engineering talent remains in short supply relative to this pipeline.
Construction insolvencies pass 3,800 as Ardmore collapse leads June figures
Rolling annual construction insolvencies in England and Wales have exceeded 3,800, with 309 firms failing in June — up 4% on May and led by the administration of CN100 contractor Ardmore Construction Group and its subsidiaries, including Landmark Facades (Construction News). Construction accounted for 17% of all insolvencies.
Hiring angle: Every major administration releases experienced engineers into the market at once, and a specialist recruitment agency can redeploy them quickly — we are seeing strong demand for structural engineer jobs from financially solid employers, with pay benchmarks in our structural engineer salary guide.
Cladding funding extended to low-rise buildings — a lift for fire engineer demand
The Government announced on 10 July that cladding remediation funding will be extended to buildings under 11 metres for the first time, bringing low-rise blocks into scope. Campaigners welcomed the principle but warned the package risks further years of delays for leaseholders (The Negotiator).
Hiring angle: Widening the funded remediation pool means more assessments, more designs and more site supervision — a persistent talent shortage in fire and façade disciplines makes early hiring critical, and fire engineer vacancies are likely to outstrip supply well into 2027.
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