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The UK is struggling to meet the government’s target of building 1.5 million new homes due to a shortage of construction workers, according to the Home Builders Federation (HBF) and Barratt Redrow. The trade bodies said a shortfall across 12 trades, including bricklaying, groundworks, and carpentry was to blame, with tens of thousands of new recruits currently needed. Factors include skills shortages, ageing workers, and Brexit, with many skilled workers no longer coming from the EU. Recruitment is also hindered by a lack of training, a poor perception of the sector and the costs of hiring apprentices, the HBF added.
Barratt Redrow’s CEO, David Thomas, said the government needed to “revolutionise the market, revolutionise planning, revolutionise methods of production” for its target to be reached, calling the shortfall a “national crisis”. He added that the industry had not received enough new recruits in recent years, with barriers to entry including a drive to encourage young people into further education rather than trades. Many skilled workers also left the industry following the 2008 financial crash.
Last week, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer pledged to deliver 1.5 million new homes in England by 2029, with the ambition of reducing house prices and making housing more affordable. Labour’s target would require an average of 300,000 new homes a year, up from the current average of 220,000. The UK’s current construction workforce stands at 2.67 million, according to the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), but with 30,000 new recruits needed for every 10,000 new homes built, the HBF said tens of thousands more workers must be hired to reach the government’s target.
The UK’s shortage of construction workers could have implications for UK property prices and the wider economy, alongside hampering housebuilding efforts. However, last month the UK government announced £140m of funding to create an additional 5,000 construction apprenticeship places per year, alongside homebuilding skills hubs. The HBF welcomed the government’s “pro-development policy” approach, which could “increase housing supply” if the industry’s investment in people and land matched government policy, it said
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