The UK needs more than a million new plumbers, bricklayers and other trades over the next decade to keep pace with demand, according to an industry report.
The UK Trade Skills Index, a report by Capital Economics on behalf of Checkatrade, said the nation was facing an urgent and alarming shortage of skilled labourers. The report estimates that the skills gap in the construction and repairs industry will reach 937,000 by the year 2032, if nothing is done.
One third of them are over 50 and will likely retire within the next ten years due to the post-Brexit exodus of European workers and an ageing workforce.
Richard Harpin, Chief Executive of Checkatrade, said that the figures highlighted in the report should serve as a wake-up call to everyone involved in the trade and construction industry. This is creating a perfect storm in the industry and creating a widening skills gap, which we need to address. The UK has been missing government housebuilding targets because of the shortage of workers, as well as higher building and repair costs for homeowners, according to Capital Economics. It said that if the UK was serious about its goal to achieve net zero by 2050, it would need more skilled construction workers. The importance of having enough plumbers who can install heat pumps is also important in this regard.
The report said that there was a lack of carpenters and electricians across the country. There were never before so many vacancies in the trades, it added. Nearly a quarter of the 937,000 new recruits needed to meet demand over the next decade is needed to be qualified apprentices, according to the UK Trade Skills Index.
A new construction apprentice is required every year, which is a third more than the UK has produced in the past five years, according to Capital Economics.
The number of people undertaking construction apprenticeships has fallen by 11 per cent every year since 2017, while the proportion of those who start but don't finish their course has gone up.
Melanie Waters, who is overseeing Checkatrade's Get In campaign, said that we must do everything we can to encourage younger generations to start a career in the trades.