Checkatrade Boss Warns Of Shortage Of Skilled Trade Workers

A shortage of skilled trade workers has developed as European Union migrants leave the UK and demand for home improvements rises, the founder of Homeserve has said. Chief executive Richard Harpin said the shortages were "pretty bad" across the country, not just in construction but in other trades too. He wants the government to put more trades on its jobs shortage list. The Home Office said employers should invest in UK workers. Mr Harpin, whose company also operates Checkatrade, told BBC Radio Four's Today programme he believed shortages were being caused by "mainly EU migrant workers going home". Read more on the BBC website.

Checkatrade boss warns of shortage of skilled trade workers - BBC News

Problems Mounting For Builders, According To FMB Survey

Growth in the construction industry could be held back by a weakening housing market, rising costs and an increasingly nervous banking sector. The Federation of Master Builders latest State of Trade Survey showed that workloads for construction SMEs grew in Q4 2018. Despite this, there are “serious concerns” about the mounting problems facing small building firms, including:

• 42% of builders have detected signs of a weakening housing market
• One in five construction SMEs have had projects stalled in the past three months

• Carpenters overtake bricklayers as the trade in shortest supply

• 87% of builders anticipate that material prices will rise further in the next six months

• Two-thirds (66%) of construction SMEs expect wages and salaries to increase over the next six months

Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/problems-mounting-for-builders-according-to-new-fmb-survey/

Housing Crisis ‘As Much About Lack Of Skilled Workers As Homes’

Welcoming confirmation of ‘live’ construction training on 26 sites across the country, Homes England (HE) chief executive Nick Walkley says the housing crisis is as much about a lack of skilled construction workers as it is about a lack of homes. New ‘hubs’ based at live construction sites will train up thousands of workers and help tackle skills shortages. The Department for Education has announced 26 partnerships nationwide have won a share of the £22m Construction Skills Fund to set up to fund the hubs. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/housing-crisis-as-much-about-lack-of-skilled-workers-as-homes/

Fixing Homes Crisis Requires Additional 400,000 Builders

The building industry will have to recruit a worker every 77 seconds for the next four years to meet Britain’s housing needs. Under-investment in the workforce was highlighted as one of the major causes of the housing crisis, according to a report from consultants Arcadis. The group estimated that about 400,000 plumbers, electricians, bricklayers, quantity surveyors and other trades people will have to be taken on every year up to 2021. Arcadis group’s James Bryce warned the industry was facing a skills “gulf,” adding: “Systemic underinvestment in the nation’s workforce has contributed to a reduction in UK productivity. “ Read more on the Morning Star website.

Housing Crisis Must Be Tackled By Both Government And Industry

The UK is facing a chronic housing shortage, but housebuilders’ shares have taken a hammering in recent months. On the surface it is a conundrum. However, there are many forces at play. This year's changes to stamp duty have been inflationary at the bottom end of the London market and deflationary at the top. As a result, confidence and sentiment have been badly hit. The EU referendum then heaped on a layer of uncertainty, depressing share prices further. The sector is also being hamstrung by a shortage of skills and some materials. Read more on the City AM website.

Skills Shortage At Breaking Point

One in ten contractors and suppliers say skills shortage is critically impacting budgets, according to  Scape’s new 'Sustainability in the Supply Chain' report. Nearly 85% of public sector construction managers, and 58% of private sector contractors and suppliers cite the current skills shortage as negatively impacting the quality of their workmanship, as well as one in ten citing it as critically impacting their ability to keep to budget. The report, which surveyed over 150 contractors, subcontractors and senior managers at public sector organisations highlighted the stark realities of a skills shortage that’s at “breaking point”. Download a copy of the report from the Scape website.

400k Homes At Risk From Skills Shortage

The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has warned that the skill shortage in the construction industry could scupper George Osborne’s “bold” housing plan to deliver 400,000 new homes.  A headline pledge in his Autumn Statement, the Chancellor made housing a key part of his vision, but also made it clear that the Government sees little housing need beyond the crisis in home ownership. But regardless of the politics of the matter, homes – whether to buy or rent – must be built and that needs the people with the necessary skills. But the construction industry faces a growing skills gap, as the FMB reminded in the wake of the announcements. “’George the Builder’ will need a new generation of ‘real’ builders to make his vision for housing a reality,” said Brian Berry, the FMB’s chief executive. Read more on the FMB website.

Housing Crisis: 1m Construction Workers Needed

The UK needs to create one million more construction jobs over the next five years if house-building targets are to be met, according to a new report. The study was released as the Government moves to realise a lofty ambition of building one million new homes by 2020 - aided by relaxing planning laws - with a focus on more affordable homes. But the drive to get more shovels at-the-ready to ease the UK's housing shortage has been met with complaints from the construction industry that a lack of skilled staff is hampering development. Underlining the sense of urgency was the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), which said the skills shortage was becoming more acute rather than improving. Thousands of top labourers, who lost their jobs and headed abroad to find work during the financial crisis, have not returned while apprenticeships are falling short of requirements. Read more on the Sky News website.

Skills Shortage Threatens Delivery of Housebuilding Targets

Councils are calling for more powers and funding to tackle the growing skills shortage in construction that they warn threatens the Government's pledge to build 275,000 affordable homes by 2020. New analysis from the Local Government Association shows the industry's forecast need for new recruits has risen by 54 per cent since 2013, yet the number of construction qualifications awarded through colleges, universities and apprenticeships has dropped by 10,000. Previous research from the association shows that between 16 and 25 per cent of forecast economic growth could by lost up to 2022 if employers cannot recruit the skills they need, which could include a loss of £24bn in output from construction. Read more on the Housing Excellence website.

Construction-Sector Recovery at Risk from Skills Shortage

A shortage of bricklayers, carpenters and site managers threatens to derail the construction sector’s recovery, an industry group has warned after fresh evidence of recruitment struggles at building companies. The Federation of Master Builders said its latest poll of small and medium-sized (SME) construction firms found employment picked up for the sixth quarter running and the growth was expected to continue over the coming three months. But about half of the 400 or so companies surveyed said they were struggling to recruit bricklayers. Brian Berry, the chief executive, said a skills shortage continued “to loom large over our industry. Almost half of construction SMEs are struggling to recruit adequate numbers of bricklayers, with others finding it increasingly hard to hire carpenters and joiners, site managers and supervisors.” Read more on the Guardian website.

Brick and Brickie Shortages Threaten Housing Targets

Increasing shortages of bricklayers and bricks threaten to undermine ambitious housebuilding plans laid out by politicians ahead of the election, a leading construction industry group has warned. All the main parties have sought to assure voters they will tackle Britain’s chronic housing shortage but the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) says its members are already struggling to get the skills and materials they need to meet demand. Half of small- and medium-sized (SME) builders are finding it difficult to recruit bricklayers, according to the FMB. Two in five say they are struggling to source certain types of bricks, with some being asked to wait up to six months for new stocks from suppliers. Read more on the FMB website.

Digital Exclusion Is a Modern Social Evil We Can Abolish

It's easy to forget that 9.5 million people – nearly 20% of the UK population – lack the basic online skills needed to send and receive email, use a search engine, browse the internet and complete online forms. Having digital skills is vital if we are to maximise economic growth and job creation. According to the 2012 Booz & Co report, The Case For Universal Digitisation, the lack of online skills is costing the UK economy £63bn in additional annual GDP growth. While online shopping saves the average consumer £560 a year.  The report also concludes that increased digital skills are of benefit to public services, leading to improvements in education; connecting older and isolated people to their communities more effectively; helping adults back into work and improving health and social services. These benefits make their greatest impact on the lives of the marginalised in society. And yet the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that 6.4 million people have never been online. Read more on the Guardian website.

Skills Shortage and Housing Bubble Have Arrived Very Early In the Economic Cycle

Can it be true that only 18 months into a recovery we seem already to have the worst signs of overheating, with employers complaining of a chronic shortage of skilled workers in the midst of a rampantly rising housing market? It seems bizarre when Britain has only just clawed back the output lost in the last recession. Such worries usually follow a 10-year run of growth, and one that looks exhausted and unstable. Then it comes as no surprise to be watching as house prices rise to unsustainable levels and employers source workers from abroad. After all, that was how 2005 looked following a decade of success. Read more on the Guardian website.