{"id":428732,"date":"2020-11-24T08:50:09","date_gmt":"2020-11-24T08:50:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.constructionnews.co.uk\/?p=428732"},"modified":"2021-04-08T08:39:58","modified_gmt":"2021-04-08T07:39:58","slug":"londons-eu-born-construction-workforce-halves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.constructionnews.co.uk\/skills\/londons-eu-born-construction-workforce-halves-24-11-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"London\u2019s EU-born construction workforce halves"},"content":{"rendered":"

The number of EU-born construction workers in London has halved in two years.<\/p>\n

Since the third quarter of 2018, the London construction market has seen the number of EU-born workers drop from 115,000 to 53,000 \u2013 a fall of 54 per cent.<\/p>\n

This is greater than the overall fall in construction workers in the capital, which has dropped 14 per cent from 300,000 to 259,000. Over the same period, the number of UK-born workers increased 13 per cent to 155,000, while the number of non-EU foreign workers rose slightly from 47,000 to 51,000.<\/p>\n

The data, produced by the Office for National Statistics and aggregated by the Construction Products Association (CPA), reveals a sharp decrease in the number of EU-born workers since the pandemic struck. In the first quarter of 2020, they numbered 87,000; over the next six months, this dropped to 51,000.<\/p>\n

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Recruitment and Employment Confederation director of policy Sophie Wingfield said the drop appeared to be a short-term response but could have lasting consequences. \u201cIt is possible that many EU workers decided to move back to see out the pandemic, and with the end of free movement next month, many may have already decided to relocate,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

CPA economist Amandeep Bahra warned that, if the industry recovery picks up pace, the lack of workers could cause problems: \u201cAt this point, total construction output remains almost 10 per cent lower than it was pre-COVID, but activity in some sectors such as infrastructure and private housing is above pre-pandemic levels and if activity in other construction sectors continues to recover, particularly in London, then this could be a major issue,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

There are concerns that the industry could face labour shortages next year. Once the UK leaves the EU, contractors will find it harder to recruit workers from the continent. Bahra said: \u201cAfter 31 December, there will be a new points-based immigration system, which will create additional admin and costs for SMEs. This raises concerns over access to skilled labour and, in the medium-term, may hinder government\u2019s ability to meet its housing targets and deliver major infrastructure projects.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last week, British Land said<\/a> it expected labour costs to rise next year, along with material costs. The developer expects contractors to absorb this inflation, however, as competition in the market intensifies.<\/p>\n

Wingfield added that the government needed flexibility responding to industry needs. \u201cWe already know that the skills\/points system being put in place has no route for so called \u2018low-skilled\u2019 EU workers. This will mean key sectors to the economy, such as construction, may struggle to recruit \u2013 and we don\u2019t yet have the UK workers available to fill these roles. Going forward, we need an evidence-based, flexible, immigration system that can adapt to the changing needs of the economy.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The number of EU-born construction workers in London has halved in two years. Since the third quarter of 2018, the London construction market has seen the number of EU-born workers drop from 115,000 to 53,000 \u2013 a fall of 54 per cent. This is greater than the overall fall in construction workers in the capital, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26091,"featured_media":382300,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[564,575],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n