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Alan Milburn called them an anxious generation this week. Not a soft one. Not snowflakes. Anxious. And the difference between those two words is the whole argument.

The work that keeps you safe is often the work that keeps you stuck. On running a business, the fear of not knowing what you don't know, and closing the gap.

There are two UK construction industries right now. They use the same trade press, the same industry bodies, and the same pool of professionals. They look, on the surface, like one sector.

Every time the construction industry publishes another report on the skills crisis, the framing is the same. Too few young people entering the trades. Too many experienced workers retiring.

I spent the first twelve years of my working life as a Quantity Surveyor. Not in a back office, not on a desk somewhere far from the work.

Senior commercial and operational leaders are quietly leaving Tier 1 UK contractors. The four reasons driving the exodus and what it means for 2026.

Most senior professionals in UK construction stay in roles too long. Not always, but often enough that the pattern is worth talking about.

One of the most expensive mistakes a senior professional can make in UK construction is joining a programme that turns out to be nothing like what was described at interview.

Every year, I have conversations with senior professionals working for Tier One contractors who are considering a move to the client side. Sometimes it is a major infrastructure client.