International workers are key to construction success

According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, the trend for international mobility is set to increase significantly as construction companies look to emerging markets during the downturn.

Seven out of 10 employers in the sector said short-term construction projects are the main factor driving international mobility initiatives.

Employers do not see cost as their top priority with regard to overseas workers and are happy to cover the cost of travel, living allowances, medical benefits and relocation. Over a third do not estimate costs and those that do use rule-of-thumb estimations.

Just under a third of construction companies (32%) said they thought international assignments had a negative impact on their retention strategies.

Jonathan Hook, engineering and construction leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers, said: "Companies will need to increase their agility in order to staff key projects appropriately. They will also need to ensure out of sight does not mean out of mind when it comes to top talent.

"The task of managing an expanding global mobile workforce will not be an easy one, as many companies have already found."