Member Article

Architects Also Hit by Unemployment

According to data from the Office of National Statistics, the number of unemployed in the UK has risen to 2.52 million people, 7,000 more people compared to November 2012.

Statistics show that over one in five 16 – 24 year olds are currently facing unemployment but further studies report that it is not just the inexperienced who are struggling to find work. A recent survey conducted by BDOnline found that one fifth of Architects in the UK are also unemployed, 33% of these lost their job in the past six months and in the last seven years a huge 40% of architects have been made redundant in the UK.

Nearly half of the respondents reported to being self-employed, demonstrating the struggle for finding fulltime work but the desire to stay practising. Others report to working in the broader construction industry such as with contractors and builders and 40% are currently earning a living through non architecture related work.

Some Architects in Norfolk explain that “We regularly get job applications for positions we’re not even advertising. It’s really tough at the moment”. Practices in London are finding that jobs can often receive more than 300 applications and even more rural practices have to sift through large amounts of CVs.

With unemployment rife in the UK it is evident that most industries have been hit, unfortunately architects are no exception.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Barton .