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EU migration drop sparks fresh concerns for construction
The number of EU workers migrating to the UK has slid to a near six-year low, raising concerns over how the government will reach its housebuilding targets.
EU net migration was 87,000 in the year to the end of March 2018, its lowest level since the year to December 2012, figures published today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed.
Around 226,000 EU citizens came to the UK and 138,000 EU citizens left in the year to the end of March 2018.
Today’s figures have sparked renewed concerns over how the construction industry will cope with a decline in EU workers in the UK post Brexit.
The construction sector relies heavily on EU labour in London, where around 30% of workers are EU nationals.
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Sarah McMonagle, director of external affairs at the Federation of Master Builders, said the figures were “deeply worrying” for sectors that rely on EU workers.
“We can’t afford to lose any more EU workers as currently two-thirds of construction SMEs [small and medium-sized enterprises] are struggling to hire bricklayers and 60% are struggling to hire carpenters and joiners,” she said.
“If the government wants its new homes and infrastructure projects built, it needs to do more to back up our industry’s message to all EU workers – they are welcome and they do have a bright future here in the UK.”
A separate ONS Labour Force Survey, published today, revealed a record fall in the number of EU workers employed in the UK.
The survey revealed there were 2.28 million EU nationals working in the UK between April and June this year, 86,000 fewer than a year earlier. This is the highest annual drop since comparable records began in 1997.
The figures were released as the government today published guidance for a host of industries on how to deal with a so-called ‘no-deal’ Brexit.
