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UK construction industry needs more immigrant workers
The Chartered Institute of Building has released a new report arguing that the UK construction industry needs more immigrant workers.
The report argues that whilst we educate and train the next generation of home grown construction workers, the construction industry is going to need to get more immigrant workers with construction specialisms into the UK if we are to meet the demands of the recovery.
The report, entitled: CIOB Perspectives: An Analysis On Migration in the Construction Sector was researched and written by CIOB’s Brian Green. The report demonstrates the effect migration has had on the UK construction industry whilst proposing policy options for the government and the industry in general.
The report concludes that migration is necessary for the construction industry and that overly tight regulation of the migrants able to work in the construction industry would be damaging to the industry’s output for years to come. In addition the report argues a perception of closed borders would be created which could impact on the construction industry’s ability to operate overseas.
The report goes on to say that it is necessary to train the next generation of construction workers and create a perception of the industry as one which is highly valued and skilled and which encourages young people to want to join the industry.
The report goes on to say: “The industry must remain vigilant and ensure migrant workers receive excellent induction and suitable training, particularly in relation to health and safety. Adequate monitoring should also be in place to discourage the exploitation of migrants.”
CIOB chief executive Chris Blythe said: “It’s essential that the voice of the construction industry is heard clearly in the migration debate so it can help shape a sensible policy that meets both its needs and those of the wider community. Globally, construction has always relied on migration to fill in gaps in the labour market – simply cutting off the supply of migrant workers risks seriously damaging the UK’s economic prospects both at home and abroad.
“But of more importance is the need to address the fact that the industry simply does not train its own people in sufficient numbers. There can be no excuses for construction not to provide more training opportunities for young UK nationals.
“Our report contains a series of sensible recommendations that need to be considered away from the broader issue of whether the UK should be in or out of the European Union.”
