Britain needs hundreds of thousands more migrant workers for Sir Keir Starmer to fulfil his pledge to build 1.5m homes by the end of this parliament, according to the building industry.
The National Federation of Builders (NFB) claimed that the goal is unreachable unless the construction skills shortage is addressed. The deficit has been compounded by a decline in apprentices and the ageing native workforce.
Rico Wojtulewicz of the NFB, said: “It takes two to three years to train an apprentice and then two years for them to become competent. We need to cover that shortfall until enough people are trained.
“We need workers in all areas, especially specialist ones such as steel workers in London for tall buildings. Having experienced workers is vital, and that can only currently come from immigration and people coming back into the sector. It’s not just direct construction either, as we also need experienced trainers in colleges and building control officers.”
The trade body, which represents small and medium-sized contractors, has proposed temporary visas lasting between three and four years, just under the five-year threshold where people can claim citizenship. It said hundreds of thousands such visas will be required over the next couple of years to deliver the housing target.
Britain currently offers skilled worker visas that allow successful applicants to stay in Britain for five years. However, these have been taken up by fewer than 100 construction specialists, according to NFB, with several in director or managerial positions, and all requiring sponsorship.
There is no self-employment route on the existing visa scheme, but many tradespeople are self-employed, resulting in the need for a construction-specific visa scheme.
The age demographic of construction workers across the industry is skewed towards those aged between 50 and 56, according to the Construction Products Association, meaning that the sector is expected to lose about a quarter of its workforce within 10 to 15 years.
Separate findings from the Construction Industry Training Board show that 250,000 more employees are needed by 2028 to cope with the planned increase in building.
Earlier this year, the Institute for Government think tank said that Angela Rayner should consider loosening immigration policy to deliver a housebuilding boom. The Housing Secretary was urged to devise a construction skills plan that could involve changing visa rules to attract more skilled workers from abroad.
The Government has said it will reach its 1.5m target by revamping the planning system, imposing mandatory housing targets and setting up a body to deliver new towns across Britain.
However, the pledge is broadly viewed by the property and construction industries as unattainable without bolder planning reform. The Centre for Cities think tank warned the Prime Minister earlier this week that he will miss his housing target by “at least” 388,000 homes.
