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One question the UK construction industry has been asking in 2021 is, where has the migrant workforce gone and will it ever return?
Zak Garner-Purkis sheds light on a murky situation
In recent weeks, a persistent rumour has been circulating about migrant workers in construction.
The specifics differ, but the central premise is the same: ‘foreign workers have taken the government’s self-employment coronavirus grant money and disappeared.’
It started before Christmas when migrant Eastern European workers did what they have traditionally done and returned home to spend time with their families over the festive season. For various cultural and religious reasons, this means people leave the UK as early as November and return well into February. The Orthodox celebration of Christmas in Romania, for example, begins on 14 November with the Nativity Fast. This year, with a second spike of COVID-19 infections shutting down vast areas of Europe, the reasons for leaving early were mul
Green skills gap could derail net-zero , major UK construction firms tell Government
Representatives from more than a dozen major construction organisations have urged the Government to do more to close the existing green skills gap and to improve the skills pipeline, lest it risk missing its 2050 net-zero target.
The paper warns that the existing skills gap for the sector could widen rather than close in the near-term future, without targeted policy action
The joint call to action has been made by the likes of Morgan Sindall, Mace Group and Tideway, through a new paper published by think-tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).
The industry’s skills shortage means the UK could be unable to achieve a zero-carbon economy by 2050, a group of industry leaders has warned.
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank has warned that policies are needed to address the 750,000 construction workers that could retire or be on the verge of retiring over the next 15 years.
The letter, signed by industry leaders on the back of IPPR’s research, has called for increased funding and further education along with expanding apprenticeships. The recommendations also ask the government to legislate to improve pay and conditions for workers, to make construction careers more attractive to jobseekers, and create a new National Infrastructure and Construction Skills Demand pipeline.