A new survey has revealed four in 10 housebuilders in the capital believe Brexit would impact their business…
London housebuilders believe an exit from the EU could make it more difficult to recruit skilled workers from abroad.
According to the survey, which was carried out for property consultants McBains Cooper, four in 10 London housebuilders said it a Brexit may mean they do not have enough skilled workers to build new homes in the capital. The figure was higher in London than in most other parts of the UK.
Housebuilders often rely on overseas workers from EU member states due to the skills shortage in the UK. The survey asked what they thought the impact of Brexit would be in terms of restricting their ability to hire staff from the EU.
A total of 38 per cent of companies said they were concerned about Brexit, while 43 per cent said they were not worried. Only 19 per cent said they were undecided.
Some 43 per cent of respondents in London said they were facing a shortage of carpenters and 27 per cent said they had a shortage of bricklayers.
Chief Executive of McBains Cooper Michael Thirkettle said: “With estimates that London needs between 50,000 and 80,000 new homes each year, it is vital that housebuilders have the requisite supply of skilled workers to deliver these numbers.
“We’re currently building nowhere near those numbers of new homes, and this survey shows there are already chronic skills shortages, especially in bricklaying and carpentry. London in particular relies on an itinerant workforce, so Brexit could simply exacerbate the situation.”
