Summary

Deecon delivered a comprehensive telecommunications labour market insight research project for Openreach, addressing two critical strategic questions, identifying 8 key market issues and developing 12 actionable recommendations. The programme provided clear national and regional strategies to mitigate labour shortages, manage inflation risk and safeguard delivery of Openreach’s long‑term fibre rollout objectives.

The Requirement

Openreach required a robust, data‑driven understanding of the UK and international telecommunications labour market to inform its long‑term resourcing and procurement strategy. With significant fibre build commitments planned nationally, the Client needed clarity on two critical strategic questions:

Whether a shortage of labour for fibre build was likely to emerge nationally or regionally, leading to cost inflation or loss of access to supply.
If so, what Openreach’s most effective strategy would be to mitigate these risks.

Openreach sought insight into current and future labour supply, the impact of wider industry build programmes, and the commercial dynamics shaping the market, to ensure delivery confidence while maintaining value for money and commercial control.

The Solution

Deecon delivered a structured telecommunications market insight programme combining qualitative and quantitative research to provide a comprehensive view of future demand, labour availability, supply chain capacity and commercial dynamics.

The approach integrated five core methodologies: targeted workshops with Openreach subject matter experts, independent market dialogue with suppliers and industry bodies, extensive desktop research using public data sources, literature reviews of specialist industry and academic research, and quantitative analysis using Deecon’s proprietary Deecon Core cost database.

Insights were structured across four key thematic areas: supply and demand, labour market dynamics (UK and international), costs and commercial considerations, and active infrastructure build programmes. This enabled Deecon to assess regional and national labour requirements, analyse market elasticity, and evaluate the potential impact of external factors such as Brexit and overlapping infrastructure programmes.

Through this analysis, Deecon identified eight key market issues affecting labour availability and cost. Working collaboratively with Openreach, these insights were translated into twelve strategic recommendations, comprising five regional‑level actions and seven national‑level actions, designed to mitigate risk, stabilise supply, and turn increasing labour demand into a strategic advantage.

The findings were consolidated into a comprehensive Market Insight Report and executive summary, supported by dashboards and models addressing labour requirements, supply chain dynamics, and commercial pressures over a multi‑year horizon.

The Results

Clear, evidence‑based answers to Openreach’s two key strategic questions on labour shortages and mitigation strategies
Identification of 8 critical labour market issues impacting fibre build delivery and cost
Development of 12 actionable strategic recommendations, targeted at both regional and national implementation
A robust insight platform and strategic framework to inform future resourcing, procurement and contracting decisions, supporting Openreach’s long‑term fibre rollout objectives