Richard Beresford of the National Federation of Builders has called for an immigration system that’s strategic rather than political, given the UK’s need for skilled workers.
The UK government has published its ‘Immigration White Paper: Restoring Control over the Immigration System,’ which sets out major reforms to the UK’s immigration system.
Rico Wojtulewicz, head of policy and market insight for the NFB, said: “The immigration system should be a strategic tool, not a political one. Too many government have tinkered with it for their own benefit and not the countries. Sustainable national growth is impossible when party politics comes ahead of the nation.
“If we want to build 1.5 million homes, retrofit 20 million homes, fix the grid, build roads, rail, and renewables, we need a skilled workforce to do it. In 2025, we simply do not have enough UK workers to achieve that and by 2027, things will be even worse due to many more people retiring from the industry.”
The reforms included in the government’s White Paper are aimed at reducing net migration and tightening up the immigration system, these include:
- Raising the Skilled Worker threshold to RGF 6 (graduate level)
- Abolishing the Immigration Salary List
- Access to the Points-Based immigration system will be limited to occupations
- Creation of a new Labour Market Evidence Group to assess the state of the labour market
- New requirements on employers to boost domestic training
- New English language requirements
Wojtulewicz added: “We commend the government’s intention for a workforce plan and talking about all departments working together, however, unless it understands who train and retain our workers, it will fail to solve the worker capacity immigration challenges.
“In construction, SMEs train 73% of apprentices, but because they do not have strong pipeline of work, with most operating hand to mouth, they cannot afford an apprentice.
“Things are so bad that many cannot even afford to retain existing stuff, let alone afford an apprentice. If they had work pipelines, they would be able to train as they did in the 1980s, when SMEs built 40% of homes and we trained more bricklayers and carpenters than all construction apprentices today.
“This government appears to be taking nation renewal seriously and so we expect that conversations about strategic solutions will grow now we have the immigration whitepaper.
“We would also note that we are delighted to see the government hint at embracing our recommendations for a one in one out scheme, whereby, if a company takes on a foreign worker they must train or fund the training of a UK worker in the same discipline.”
Dr David Crosthwaite, chief economist at BCIS, said: “Starmer promised a government for builders, not blockers – but the workforce strategy risks not having enough builders to start with.
“Much of the recent debate over visa reforms has centred on care workers, but there are clear parallels within the construction industry.
“Both sectors have historically relied on migrant labour when domestic supply has fallen short – and both sectors currently face persistent challenges in attracting UK workers; challenges that appear to run deeper than pay and conditions alone.
“Perceptions of job status, long-term security and career progression all seem to play a role in deterring domestic interest in these vital roles.”
He added: “If the government is serious about delivering 1.5 million homes and boosting national infrastructure delivery, they must seek both short-term and long-term solutions.
“Yes, we need to invest in training and apprenticeships, encourage more direct employment and rebuild the domestic skills base for the long-term; but that takes time.
“In the meantime, it is critical that we can access migrant workers where there’s a clear economic need, or else risk stalling growth and delivery even further.
“Without transitional measures, tightening migration rules could increase costs, delay projects, and make it even harder to meet ambitious targets. Workforce decisions need to be grounded in long-term strategy, not short-term political pressure.”