Andy Burnham’s ambitions to build tens of thousands of new council houses are under threat due to a labour shortage stemming from Brexit, industry leaders have warned, reports BritPanorama.
A significant decline in skilled workers has resulted from more than 200,000 EU workers leaving the industry since 2019, according to Checkatrade’s UK Trade Skills Index. The latest Office for National Statistics figures indicate there were 31,000 vacancies in the construction sector between May and July 2025, a 2.3 percent increase from the same period in 2024. This represents a decrease from a record 51,000 vacancies in 2022, following the Covid pandemic.
The crisis is compounded by an aging workforce; only 20 percent of current workers are under 30, while 35 percent are over 50 and nearing retirement, the skills index highlights. To address this, it is estimated that around 1 million additional workers will be needed in the next decade, with approximately 206,000 required by 2030 to meet growing demand for housing.
Clive Dickin, chief executive of the National Access and Scaffolding Confederation (NASC), warned of a projected shortage of 40,000 scaffolders over the next five years, reflecting broader issues in the skilled labour market since the UK departed from the EU. Mr Dickin termed the combination of Brexit and Covid as “a perfect storm,” which significantly depleted the workforce as changes to immigration rules made it more challenging for many skilled labourers to return to the UK.
The warning comes as the Prime Minister announced £10 billion in funding aimed at constructing 70,000 new council houses across England, tying into a broader Labour Party goal of delivering 1.5 million new homes by the next general election in 2029.
Shortly after, Mr Burnham reiterated his commitment to Keir Starmer’s stringent Brexit “red lines,” which prohibit rejoining the EU or returning to free movement. Mr Dickin noted that the current vacancy rate poses significant challenges, stating: “We need about 40,000 scaffolders to meet the demands of varying house-building targets and net-zero initiatives.”
He continued, explaining how the exits of skilled scaffolders due to Brexit and Covid exacerbated shortages: “The changes to immigration rules resulted in many skilled workers not being able to return easily to the United Kingdom, resulting in a significant shortage.”
He also pointed to the long training periods required for these roles — five years to qualify as a scaffolder — indicating that immediate solutions are not feasible. The dependency on scaffolding in multiple sectors, such as home building and theatre productions, adds to the urgency.
Marley Morris, an associate director at the Institute of Public Policy for the Regions (IPPR), confirmed that the construction industry has faced notable shortages post-Brexit. He pointed out that while some temporary mitigation of the impacts occurred through a more liberal migration policy in the initial years after Brexit, the tightening regulations have hindered recruitment further.
Data from a Federation of Master Builders survey corroborates these warnings, showing that nearly 18 percent of construction firms reported a decrease in workforce. Difficulties were especially pronounced in roles such as carpenters and scaffolders, with a substantial percentage of firms acknowledging the adverse effects on project timelines and completions due to the lack of skilled tradespeople.
According to the Skills Training Group, the decline in skilled labour across key construction roles is stark. For instance, there are 35 percent fewer bricklayers than in 2005 and 17 percent fewer carpenters. Mr Burnham has taken steps to promote vocational training, endorsing recommendations that aim to elevate it to a status comparable to university degrees.
A report from Places for People last year highlighted the urgent need for 250,000 new apprenticeships to alleviate the skills crisis, warning of the detrimental impact on the UK government’s housing targets, with over 140,000 job vacancies currently hindering essential projects. The report emphasized the critical need for actionable steps in recruitment and training to avert a worsening of the crisis.
A Conservative spokesperson responded, stating, “Once again, Andy Burnham is making promises with no plan for delivery. The numbers behind this announcement don’t add up, and there are significant workforce gaps that threaten to impede construction.”
The government has been approached for comment, but as the challenges facing the construction sector mount, the urgency for pragmatic solutions grows ever clearer.
