Construction Recruitment: The Complete Guide to Hiring Site Managers and Engineers

The Construction Recruitment Crisis: State of Play

The construction sector is going through an unprecedented recruitment crisis.

80,000 unfilled positions every year in France alone. Companies are turning down projects due to staff shortages. Delivery timelines are stretching. And the situation is only getting worse with massive baby boomer retirements.

The paradox? The sector is hiring and salaries are rising, but candidates aren't coming.

What You'll Learn

This guide gives you the keys to:

• Understand why construction struggles to recruit (and how to fix it)
• Identify the best sourcing channels by job type
• Adapt your value proposition to new expectations
• Cut your recruitment timelines in half

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The Construction Job Market in 2025: Key Figures

Overview

Most In-Demand Roles

Site Management:

• Site Manager / Project Manager
• Site Supervisor
• Construction Director
• Works Engineer

Engineering Office:

• Structural Engineer (concrete/steel)
• Geotechnical Engineer
• BIM Designer / BIM Manager
• Quantity Surveyor

Technical Trades:

• HVAC Engineer
• Electrical Engineer (high/low voltage)
• MEP Engineer
• HSE Manager

Civil Engineering:

• Civil Works Site Manager
• Infrastructure Project Manager
• Bridge/Structure Engineer
• Infrastructure Director

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Why Construction No Longer Attracts: The Real Reasons

Before sourcing, you need to understand the barriers.

1. The Sector's Image

Construction suffers from a degraded image among younger generations:

• Jobs perceived as physically demanding
• Constraining schedules (early starts, travel)
• Lack of visibility on career paths
• Low presence on social media and digital platforms

2. Competition from Other Sectors

Engineers have choices. Many prefer:

• Energy (ecological transition, purpose)
• IT (salaries, remote work, conditions)
• Manufacturing (stability, fixed hours)

3. Working Conditions

What blocks candidates:

• Imposed geographic mobility (following sites)
• Little remote work possible for field roles
• Pressure on deadlines and budgets
• Difficult work-life balance

4. Training Deficit

Schools aren't producing enough:

• Fewer than 10,000 construction engineers graduate annually
• Vocational tracks losing attractiveness
• Few pathways from other sectors

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The 8 Sourcing Channels for Construction

1. LinkedIn: Underutilized in the Sector

Unlike IT, construction profiles are less present and less active on LinkedIn. But that's also an opportunity: less competition.

Specifics of construction sourcing on LinkedIn:

• Site managers often have incomplete profiles (little time to update)
• Look for site photos in posts: sign of an active profile
• Construction LinkedIn groups are poorly animated, prefer direct messages

Boolean search example:

```

("site manager" OR "project manager" OR "construction manager") AND ("residential" OR "commercial" OR "infrastructure") AND ("London" OR "Manchester") NOT ("recruiter" OR "temp agency")

```

2. Specialized Construction Job Boards

The sector has its own platforms, often more effective than generalists.

Recommended platforms:

3. Engineering Schools and Construction Programs

School sourcing remains most effective for juniors.

Target schools: General Construction Engineers:

• ESTP Paris (historic reference)
• ESITC (Caen, Paris, Lyon, Metz)
• ENTPE Lyon
• Polytech (national network)
• INSA (Lyon, Toulouse, Strasbourg)

Specialized Engineers:

• ENPC (Ponts ParisTech) - structures, infrastructure
• Centrale (Lille, Nantes) - high-level generalist
• Arts et Métiers - versatile profiles
• CESI - apprenticeship, operational profiles

Concrete actions:

• Career fairs: ESTP, ESITC = essential (budget €3-8K)
• Final year internships: 70% lead to permanent hire
• Guest lectures: visibility with graduating classes
• Project sponsorship: bridge competitions, concrete projects

4. Temp Agencies and Specialized Staffing

In construction, temp work is a major gateway to permanent positions.

Leading agencies:

• Manpower Construction: generalist, high volumes
• Randstad Construction: managers and engineers
• Actual: national network, all levels
• Proman: strong field presence
• Adecco Construction: major accounts

Strategy:

• Identify temps on long assignments (6+ months)
• Offer direct hire with attractive package
• Many site managers started in temp work

5. Professional Federations and Trade Associations

Professional organizations are powerful relays.

Key organizations:

• FFB (French Building Federation): 50,000 member companies
• FNTP (Public Works): major infrastructure projects
• Syntec Engineering: engineering consultancies
• CAPEB: craftsmen and construction SMEs
• EGF-BTP: major general contractors

How to use them:

• Participate in regional events
• Publish in their newsletters and job sites
• Access member directories (indirect sourcing)

6. Professional Trade Shows

Trade shows remain privileged networking venues.

Major events:

7. Referrals: The #1 Channel in Construction

In a sector where everyone knows everyone, referrals are king.

Statistics:

• 40% of construction hires come from referrals
• A site manager knows on average 50+ peers
• Retention rate for referred hires is 25% higher

Effective referral program:

8. Alumni Networks and Engineering Associations

Alumni are an underexploited pool.

Active networks:

• ESTP Alumni: 20,000+ members, very active
• Ponts Alliance: ENPC network, high level
• Arts et Métiers Alumni: 100,000 members all sectors
• INSA Alumni: national network

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What Construction Professionals Really Want

To convince them, adapt your pitch to their expectations.

1. Geographic Stability

This is the #1 criterion, especially for experienced profiles with families.

"I don't want to change regions every 2 years anymore."

What attracts:

• Position attached to a fixed office
• Sites within a defined radius (e.g., 30 miles)
• Ability to decline long-distance assignments

2. Autonomy and Responsibility

Good site managers want to run their sites, not execute orders.

Elements to highlight:

• Size and complexity of assigned projects
• Budget managed autonomously
• Team size managed
• Direct client relationship

3. Career Prospects

Construction offers fast careers for high performers.

Typical paths:

```

Site Supervisor → Site Manager → Construction Director → Branch Director

Design Engineer → Project Manager → Technical Director → Engineering Director

BIM Technician → BIM Manager → BIM Director → CTO

```

4. Compensation

Indicative 2025 scales (gross annual, major metro areas): Common extras: company car, profit-sharing (€2-5K), site bonuses

5. Work-Life Balance

New generations are uncompromising on this point.

What makes the difference:

• Predictable hours (no weekend calls)
• Actual time off taken
• Remote work possible for office roles (1-2 days/week)
• Leave respected even during delivery periods

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The Perfect Contact Message for Construction

Fatal Mistakes

1. ❌ "Opportunity at a leading construction company"
2. ❌ Not specifying site locations
3. ❌ Talking about "challenges" without mentioning conditions
4. ❌ Ignoring the package (car, bonuses)
5. ❌ Sending too long a message (site managers don't have time)

Effective Template

```

Hi [First Name],

[Personalized hook: project seen on LinkedIn, current company, school...]

I'm recruiting a [position] for [company type] in [city/region]:

• Projects: [type and size, e.g., residential R+7, €15-25M]
• Area: [precise geographic zone]
• Package: [salary range] + vehicle + [benefits]

What might interest you:

• [Stability: e.g., "Established office, no long-distance travel"]
• [Projects: e.g., "Low-carbon concrete, sustainable buildings"]
• [Growth: e.g., "Path to construction director"]

15 min to discuss?

[Signature with phone number]

```

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Automating Construction Recruitment Intelligently

What to Automate

1. Profile enrichment: retrieving contact details (email, phone)
2. Follow-up sequences: 2-3 spaced messages (many site managers don't respond to the first)
3. New profile alerts: be notified when profiles start job searching
4. Pipeline tracking: don't lose candidates in limbo

What to Keep Human

1. Personalized first contact: mention a project, company, school
2. Phone conversation: construction profiles prefer calls to emails
3. Field support: be available, responsive, transparent about conditions

Recommended Tools

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Construction Recruitment KPIs

Metrics to Track

1. Response rate to outreach

• Construction benchmark: 10-15% (lower than IT/energy)
• With personalization: 20-25%

1. Time to shortlist

• Target: < 10 business days

1. Offer acceptance rate

• Benchmark: 65-75%

1. Time to fill (overall)

• Industry benchmark: 3-4 months
• Optimized target: 6-8 weeks

1. 1-year retention rate

• Critical in construction (high turnover)
• Target: > 80%

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Conclusion: Winning the Construction Talent War

Construction doesn't lack projects. It lacks the hands and minds to deliver them.

The recruiters who succeed are those who:

1. ✅ Understand the real expectations of field profiles
2. ✅ Communicate about stability before salary
3. ✅ Diversify their channels (referrals, schools, temp agencies)
4. ✅ Personalize each approach with concrete elements
5. ✅ Move fast: a good site manager receives 5+ offers in parallel

Construction is hiring. It's up to you to capture the best before the competition.