Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has not undertaken any recent discussions with the construction industry specifically focused on increasing the number of women employed in the construction sector.

The Scottish Government provide construction specific guidance through the Client Guide to Construction Projects which is mandatory for Scottish Government’s public bodies, and voluntary for all other organisations, whose uptake we strongly encourage and actively support. It also assists contractors and consultants in developing their understanding of how the public sector delivers construction projects.

In March 2026 the Scottish Government funded Scotland’s first Flexible Working Summit to showcase employers who successfully adopted flexible working in sectors, such as construction, where flexibility is harder to embed. This will open opportunities for mothers especially in industries where they have been typically underrepresented.

The Construction Leadership Forum (CLF) has been the main forum for strategic engagement between the Scottish Government and the construction industry, bringing together government and industry representatives to address key challenges facing the sector.

In October 2025, the CLF’s Skills and Workforce Working Group launched its Construction Workforce Mission aimed at tackling the challenge of recruiting, training, and retaining enough skilled workers to deliver the infrastructure and built environment needed for a thriving, sustainable future.

In September 2022, the CLF launched a National Equity and Inclusion Plan (NEIP) for the construction industry in Scotland to encourage the development of a more diverse and all-encompassing workforce.