Building Britain's Future? The construction workforce after Brexit
Article
The construction industry is of vital strategic importance to the UK. A healthy construction industry will be essential if we are to build the homes, commercial property and infrastructure that our economy and our country needs. Yet the construction industry faces a grave threat from Brexit.
We have identified three significant challenges facing the construction industry.
- Productivity growth in construction has been stagnant.
- Construction faces severe and growing skills shortages.
- Construction has become increasingly reliant on EU migration.
We set out recommendations in three areas.
- Implementing an industrial strategy for construction.
- Building a skills strategy for construction.
- Ensuring a migration policy that works for construction.
Related items

The full-speed economy: Does running a hotter economy benefit workers?
How a slightly hotter economy might be able to boost future growth.
Making the most of it: Unitarisation, hyperlocal democratic renewal and community empowerment
Local government reorganisation need not result in a weakening of democracy at the local level.
Transport and growth: Reforming transport investment for place-based growth
The ability to deliver transformative public transport is not constrained by a lack of ideas, public support or local ambition. It is constrained by the way decisions are taken at the national level.