As the £45bn phase one project formally shifts from enabling works to main construction today, HS2 estimates a jobs bonanza over the next two years as main delivery contractors gear up their workforces.

An estimated 400,000 supply chain contract opportunities for UK businesses will also be created during phase one of HS2.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “HS2 is at the heart of our plans to build back better – and with construction now formally underway, it’s set to create around 22,000 new jobs.

“By creating hundreds of apprenticeships and thousands of skilled jobs, HS2 will fire up economic growth and help to rebalance opportunity across this country for years to come.”

HS2’s Tier One construction partners based in Greater London alone will collectively recruit over 10,000 new jobs as HS2 gears up for major construction.

Mace Dragados JV,

Mace Dragados JV, which this month moved onto the construction site adjacent to Euston station, forecasts that it will need 3,000 workers to help deliver the capital’s new central high speed station.

SCS Railways

Skanska Costain Strabag JV expects to create 4,800 jobs on its Euston approaches and Northolt tunnels sections. There will be employment for around 550 previously unemployed people and 400 apprenticeships.

Align JV

Bouygues, Sir Robert McAlpine and VolkerFitzpatrick JV expects to recruit to fill 1,200 vacancies, with over 100 opportunities for apprentices to deliver the Chiltern Tunnels and Colne Valley Viaduct.

It plans to target recruitment and investment in upskilling local people who are currently unemployed, with a particular focus on women, under 25s and those with disabilities.

BBVS JV

Balfour Beatty Vinci Systra needs a workforce of 1,400 to support the construction of Old Oak Common Station. As well as providing over 250 apprenticeship positions, the joint venture is committed to attracting local candidates, of all ages and backgrounds.

BBV JV

HS2’s main works contractor for the West Midlands, the Balfour Beatty Vinci JV along with its supply chain partners, expects to be one of the biggest recruiters in the West Midlands over the next two years.

Up to 7,000 skilled jobs will be required to complete its complex section of the HS2 route.

This includes Long Itchington Wood Green Tunnel to Delta Junction and Birmingham Spur, and Delta Junction to West Coast Main Line Tie-In (Handsacre Junction).

EKFB

Eiffage, Kier, BAM Nuttall, Ferrovial – building the section from the Long Itchington Wood site in Warwickshire south to the Chiltern tunnel portals, will recruit over 4,000 roles in the next two years, many based in Milton Keynes, as work ramps up in the area.

HS2 team

HS2 itself is already directly recruiting for 500 new roles over the next three months, with the majority based in Birmingham, as the project moves into the construction phase.

Mark Thurston, CEO of HS2, said: “After 10 years of development and preparatory work, today we can formally announce the start of full construction, unlocking thousands of jobs and supply chain opportunities across the project.”

HS2 is already supporting around 9,000 jobs. During its 20-year construction it will create over 30,000 engineering and construction jobs – including 2,000 apprentices – directly on its sites and many more thousands in the supply chain around the country.