Haman Manak is the procurement director at Stanmore
For the past 18 months, we’ve all felt the effects of the economic headwinds. Under the tough, high interest rate climate, some well-known peers went insolvent – and activity stats across our sector have looked abnormally meagre.
“The government cannot overlook or write off ‘imported’ talent”
That’s why it was so good to see the Labour government prioritise housebuilding – and not just that, but drive a big, sector-wide boost. Building 1.5 million homes across a five-year term is no joke.
I’ll speak for the whole industry by saying we welcomed this with open arms. But, while this is the case, I can’t help but feel a glaring issue is being neglected.
You see, smashing down the planning deadlock and restrictive environmental rules are all bold steps, but the problem of our worker shortage seems to have gone unaddressed.
Like anyone you’ll ever speak to in construction and housebuilding, I’m all for bringing more young, homegrown talent into our workforce. But while I admire Keir Starmer for leading on this front, I can’t help but feel the prime minister has overlooked the importance of migrant workers in the UK.
Both on and off sites, migrants are vital to the functioning and flourishing of this country’s built environment. I’ve grown up on sites all my life, and having spoken to the experienced overseas talent our sector boasts, I can tell you: without them, our world-class developments and projects probably wouldn’t have the stellar reputation they hold today.
And they’ll definitely be needed for Labour to meet its housebuilding goals.
So, with all that said, I’d encourage the government to consider our worker shortage as it implements its immigration policies.
Overstretched already
Construction and housebuilding’s workforce contains some of the brightest and best that the country has to offer – there’s no doubt about that. But we’re overstretched as it is – and that’s without adding 1.5 million homes to the list or the data centres, laboratories, prisons, offshore wind farms or even Sizewell C Nuclear Power Station that the new Labour government has lined up.
Recent reports have flagged that construction’s workforce has dwindled by 14 per cent since 2019 – and, worse still, the Construction Industry Training Board has predicted we’ll need 251,500 more workers to meet industry output over the next five years. It’s hard to believe the government’s targets are even realistic when you consider these numbers.
Of course, our shortage hasn’t flown completely under the radar – Starmer has put his mind to the task. The PM recently announced his Skills England Bill: a nationwide plan to upskill the UK’s workforce, ensure a steady stream of apprentices and, in his words, wean ourselves off our reliance on “importing skills”.
There’s no doubt that the skills upgrade is a fantastic long-term plan – but we won’t be able to get 251,500 more workers through apprenticeships alone. It would require at least two to three years to train them up – and, of course, time to tackle the issue of generating widespread interest in a career in construction, which we’re still grappling with today. It’s just too far-fetched.
I’m not one for short-termism, but to really ‘get Britain building again’, the government must lend a greater sympathy to our labour situation. “Imported” talent will be key to driving growth and activity across construction – the government cannot overlook or, of course, write off these bastions of our industry.
In construction and housebuilding, we’re all raring and ready to build, build and build – and help push the economy back to consistent growth. But let’s make sure we have enough boots on the ground to do so.
