In this blog we are going to take a look specifically at the labour shortage currently being experienced within the UK and the reasons behind why it is happening. We will also look at some of the impacts and affects of the labour shortage. The UK has experienced somewhat of a perfect storm in recent years but a labour shortages in construction is a problem that has been felt in many other countries across the world.
Firstly, it is worth clarifying what a labour shortage is. A labour shortage refers to a lack of qualified people that have the skills and ability to fulfil the job roles available in a certain area or industry.
In answer to the question, are labour shortages affecting the UK construction industry? The simplest answer is a resounding yes.
Why is the UK suffering from this problem?
A few factors include; an ageing population, injuries and of course, COVID-19.
Due to construction work generally being a physically demanding job, those that work as tradesmen and labourers tend to retire early and suffer injuries from the continuous strain it puts on their bodies. The type of work can also be stressful with tight deadlines and a continuous workload, and when coupled with Covid-19 over the last few years it’s seen many people within construction retire earlier than they perhaps would have done if Covid-19 did not happen. Many people retired when the industry shut-down due to lack of work at that moment in time and many were forced to stop working due to long-term health effects caused by the pandemic. So as the industry has ramped up again and returned to normal there has been a smaller pool of skilled labour seeking work.
Unfortunately, Brexit has also played a major part in the UK’s labour shortage. The fact is that the UK employed a great deal of European labourers to work on construction projects. But Brexit has seen a vast exodus totalling into the hundreds of thousands migrating, and so from one moment to the next, we’ve seen a further decrease in the number of people capable of carrying out said work.
Additionally, we are seeing a greater need for houses, schools, hospitals, and other infrastructure but it seems that more people are leaving the industry than entering.
What sort of impact is the labour shortage in construction actually having?
Well, it is costing the UK Government an awful lot of money, a recent report has revealed that organisations in the UK are spending £6 and half billion pounds a year as a result of the skills shortage and it’s reported that construction is one of the industries that’s most affected.
And the other major impact is that work and construction projects are simply not being built, either projects are experiencing significant delays or are just not even starting. As mentioned, more homes are urgently needed to combat the country’s housing crisis, yet the rate at which they are being built is not reaching the levels required. And this is just one of a vast array of problems the UK is facing.
Encouraging young people into construction and educating them on the different roles construction requires such as skilled labour, Project Managers and Quantity Surveyors, may certainly be a good place to start in helping to solve this problem and the ageing industry.
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