UK builders envision skills shortage when foreign labour takes a hike after Brexit
- UK construction companies worry immigration clampdown after Brexit will crimp access to skilled labour, as almost half of builders are non-UK nationals
- The sector will need to recruit and train 31,600 workers every year for the next three years just to keep up with demand, industry body says
Monika Slowikowska is incredulous when people tell her foreigners will still want to come to the UK after the country leaves the European Union.
As a Pole who owns a London construction company, Slowikowska is less sanguine. She fears for an industry facing a Brexit immigration clampdown, including high salary requirements for visas and restrictions on low-skilled labour.
“We believe that we’re still a paradise destination,” said Slowikowska, who has lived in the UK for 20 years and employs nearly 200 workers. But that’s “just unrealistic” when workers can choose other countries such as Germany, Norway and Italy, she said.
High living costs and a falling pound are further deterrents for EU citizens considering settling in Britain. With Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowing to get out of the EU on October 31, “do or die,” the pound is at its lowest levels since shortly after the 2016 referendum – eroding the value of money earned in the UK when remitted overseas.
The construction industry, which accounts for 6 per cent of the economy and employs a similar number of people as manufacturing, has a lot to do to prepare for the Brexit deadline. With the government setting ambitious home-building targets, the sector faces an acute labour shortage after struggling to recruit workers for a decade.