Balfour Beatty is planning to add around 2,000 employees in the UK as it expands to meet rising demand for infrastructure work.
The contractor expects its UK headcount to reach approximately 16,000 by the end of 2027. It employed about 12,200 people in the UK at the end of 2023, representing growth of more than 30% over the four-year period.
Power transmission drives expansion
Balfour Beatty said its UK Power Transmission business recorded 24% revenue growth in the first half of 2026 and currently has an order book worth £2.1bn.
The company has also identified a further pipeline valued at between £6bn and £8bn, prompting it to expand its operational capacity.
About half of the planned hires are expected to be early-career appointments. Around 1,000 roles will be filled through apprenticeships, graduate schemes, internships and trainee positions.
Early-career employees currently account for about 9% of Balfour Beatty’s UK workforce. The business expects that proportion to rise to approximately 12.7% by the end of 2027.
Balfour Beatty estimates that its UK supply chain, which includes around 7,200 partners, supports employment for roughly 4 million people. SMEs make up about 64% of those partners.
Industry skills capacity
Balfour Beatty group chief executive Philip Hoare said: “Britain’s infrastructure ambitions will only be realised if the country has the capacity, capability and skills to deliver them.
“Expanding our workforce by 2,000 is a clear vote of confidence in the market. It shows the scale of opportunity ahead and our commitment to investing in the people, projects and technical expertise that will power Britain’s future.”
Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the recruitment programme showed a major British company investing in the UK and training the next generation of workers.
“We’ve got a huge amount of work to do to get growth in every postcode over the next few years,” Reynolds said. “So having British firms investing in people here, and training up the next generation to do those jobs, is really good news.”
The announcement follows recruitment activity by Thames Water, Amey and Spencer Group, which have also taken on significant numbers of apprentices in recent months.