Continued access to skilled EU workers is important to deliver on the Government’s housing targets
New Research from the House Builders Federation (HBF) published yesterday 5th December 2017 illustrates importance of EU workers in building the country’s homes.
The report states: Housebuilders in England are heavily reliant on foreign labour and will need continued access to skilled EU workers post Brexit to deliver the Government’s housing targets an extensive new census of the workforce shows.
Official statistics suggest that 12.6% of general construction workers across the UK are foreign-born, of which 5.7% are from EU-accession countries.
Stewart Baseley, executive chairman of the Home Builders Federation said;
“The results of this census clearly demonstrate the reliance the industry currently has on non UK workers. Output is up a massive 74% in recent years but achieving the very challenging targets set by Government will require further big increases in workforce capacity. Whilst the industry is investing heavily in recruiting and training young people leaving our schools, colleges and universities, continued access to overseas workers is absolutely essential.”
Read the HBF research report with survey results published 5th December 2017 in full click here.