Brexit Skills Crisis Puts Housing Pledge Under Pressure
The Brexit skills crisis is threatening Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s ambition to deliver a major council house building programme as Britain struggles with a serious shortage of construction workers.
Industry leaders have warned that the country may not have enough bricklayers, carpenters, scaffolders, plumbers and other skilled tradespeople to build tens of thousands of new council homes within the government’s planned timetable.
More than 200,000 workers from the European Union have reportedly left the UK construction industry since 2019, according to Checkatrade’s UK Trade Skills Index. At the same time, an ageing domestic workforce and insufficient numbers of new apprentices are making the shortage more difficult to resolve.
The warnings have emerged as the government announces £10 billion of funding to support the construction of 70,000 affordable homes across England. Burnham has described his wider ambition as the biggest council house-building programme since the post-war period.
However, funding and planning permission alone cannot deliver new homes. The government must also ensure that enough qualified people are available to build them safely and efficiently.
What Has Andy Burnham Promised?
Burnham has pledged to oversee a substantial expansion of council and social housing across England.
The government’s latest announcement provides £10 billion to deliver approximately 70,000 affordable homes, with 60% of them expected to be available for social rent. The programme is part of a broader plan to deliver hundreds of thousands of affordable homes over the next decade.
It also contributes to the government’s target of building 1.5 million new homes by the next general election in 2029.
Burnham wants local authorities to play a much greater role in housing development. Councils will receive long-term funding and stronger powers to plan projects, use public land and work directly with construction companies.
Supporters believe this approach could reduce dependence on private developers and increase the number of properties offered at genuinely affordable rents.
The policy aims to help families on social housing waiting lists, reduce homelessness, and lower the amount spent on placing people in expensive temporary accommodation.
But the success of the programme depends on more than just financial investment alone. Councils and contractors need a reliable supply of skilled workers—and that is where the government faces a major problem.
How Has Brexit Affected UK Construction?
The UK construction industry previously depended heavily on workers from other European countries.
Before Brexit, freedom of movement made it relatively easy for EU citizens with construction experience to live and work in Britain. That source of labour became more restricted when the UK left the European Union and introduced a new immigration system.
The combined disruption caused by Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic led many skilled European workers to leave Britain. Some later found it difficult or unattractive to return because of visa requirements, costs and uncertainty over their employment status.
Checkatrade’s skills index estimates that more than 200,000 EU workers have left the construction sector since 2019.
However, Brexit is not the only cause of the problem. The industry has also suffered from retirements, limited investment in vocational training, and difficulty persuading younger people to enter skilled trades.
Brexit therefore intensified weaknesses that were already developing inside the UK construction workforce.
Thousands of Construction Jobs Remain Vacant
Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed approximately 31,000 construction vacancies between May and July 2026. That represented a 2.3% increase compared with the same period a year earlier, although it remained below the post-pandemic peak of 51,000 vacancies recorded in 2022.
The headline figure does not reveal the full extent of the problem, as shortages are particularly severe in specialised occupations.
A Federation of Master Builders survey found that employers experienced difficulties recruiting workers across several essential trades:
- 30% struggled to recruit carpenters
- 29% had difficulty finding bricklayers
- 23% struggled to recruit plumbers
- 22% reported a shortage of roofers
- 21% had difficulty finding electricians
- 20% struggled to recruit plasterers
Almost three-quarters of the surveyed companies reported a shortage of skilled tradespeople during the second half of 2025.
Half said worker shortages had delayed projects, while 22% reported that jobs had been cancelled.
These figures show how the labour crisis could directly affect Burnham’s housing plan. A shortage of even one essential trade can delay an entire construction project.
An Ageing Workforce Makes the Problem Worse
Britain’s construction workforce is also getting older.
Only around one in five workers is under the age of 30, while approximately 35% are over 50. Many experienced tradespeople are expected to retire during the coming decade.
The Checkatrade index estimates that the industry could require around one million additional workers over the next ten years to replace those leaving and meet growing demand.
Between 2025 and 2030 alone, the industry may need approximately 206,000 extra workers.
Scaffolding illustrates the scale of the challenge. Clive Dickin, chief executive of the National Access and Scaffolding Confederation, has warned of a potential shortage of 40,000 scaffolders over five years.
Scaffolders are required for housing, infrastructure, building safety, cladding, offshore energy and industrial projects. Competition for a limited number of qualified workers could therefore push costs higher and cause delays.
Training replacements will take time because some specialist roles require several years of education and supervised experience. A qualified scaffolder, for example, may need approximately five years of training.
How Could the Skills Shortage Affect Housebuilding?
A shortage of workers can affect housing construction in several ways.
First, projects may take longer to complete because contractors cannot assemble the teams they need. Councils may secure funding and planning permission but still be unable to begin work on schedule.
Second, labour costs may rise as construction companies compete for a limited pool of experienced tradespeople. Higher wages benefit workers, but unexpected cost increases can reduce the number of homes that a fixed public budget can deliver.
Third, quality and safety could suffer if companies attempt to accelerate recruitment without providing suitable training and supervision.
The shortage could also create competition between council housing projects, private developments, infrastructure schemes, cladding repairs and net-zero improvements. All these programmes require many of the same skilled workers.
Burnham’s housing pledge may therefore increase demand, while the supply of labour remains limited.
Can Apprenticeships Solve the Crisis?
Apprenticeships will be an important part of any long-term solution, but they cannot fill every vacancy immediately.
A report from the social enterprise Places for People estimated that approximately 250,000 new apprenticeships would be needed to help address labour shortages in construction.
Burnham has already announced plans to give vocational and technical education greater importance. His approach aims to place skilled careers on a similar level to university education and make training more closely reflect the needs of local employers.
This could encourage more young people to enter construction and provide employers with a stronger pipeline of skilled workers.
Nevertheless, completing an apprenticeship takes time. New trainees cannot immediately replace bricklayers, electricians or scaffolders who may have spent years earning qualifications and developing practical experience.
The government will consequently need both a long-term training strategy and measures that ease immediate labour shortages
Could Immigration Rules Be Changed?
One possible response would be to make it easier for qualified construction workers from overseas to work in Britain.
Several construction roles have appeared on official shortage lists, reflecting the difficulty employers face when recruiting domestically.
A targeted visa system could help companies bring in workers for occupations experiencing the most serious shortages. A youth mobility agreement with the EU might also allow more young Europeans to live and work temporarily in the UK.
However, immigration remains politically sensitive.
Burnham has said he will maintain the existing Brexit “red lines”, meaning the government does not plan to rejoin the EU, the single market or the Customs Union. It has also ruled out restoring freedom of movement.
The government will need to balance its promise to reduce migration with the economic need for skilled labour.
Without some flexibility, critics argue that it will be difficult to deliver major housing and infrastructure programmes while thousands of important construction jobs remain vacant.
Other Problems Facing the Housing Programme
The labour shortage is not the only threat to Burnham’s plans.
Local authorities face high borrowing and construction costs, while many councils have lost experienced planning and development teams following decades of limited council housebuilding.
Planning disputes, shortages of suitable land, infrastructure requirements and supply-chain problems can also delay projects.
The government must decide how much funding will be allocated to different regions and how councils will deliver developments without repeating the mistakes associated with some poorly designed post-war estates.
There is also political debate about what counts as affordable housing. Shared-ownership properties and homes offered below market rent may still be too expensive for lower-income families.
Housing organisations have therefore urged the government to prioritise council homes offered at social rents rather than relying too heavily on broader definitions of affordability.
What Must the Government Do Next?
Delivering Burnham’s housing promise will require a coordinated workforce plan alongside the construction budget.
The government could consider:
- Expanding construction apprenticeships and technical colleges
- Providing financial support for smaller companies that train apprentices
- Improving careers advice in schools
- Supporting older workers who want to remain in the industry
- Introducing targeted visas for essential construction roles
- Making it easier for qualified overseas workers to have their skills recognised
- Giving councils resources to rebuild their internal development expertise
- Offering long-term contracts that allow employers to invest confidently in recruitment
Long-term funding is particularly important. Construction businesses are more likely to recruit and train workers when they can see a reliable pipeline of projects extending over several years.
Conclusion
The Brexit skills crisis presents a serious challenge to Burnham’s council house building pledge.
The government may have ambitious targets and billions of pounds in funding, but homes cannot be completed without enough bricklayers, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, roofers and scaffolders.
Brexit contributed to the problem by reducing the availability of workers from the European Union, but an ageing workforce and years of inadequate technical training are also significant factors.
Burnham’s promise is deliverable. However, it will require more than changes to planning rules and new housing investment.
Unless the government develops a credible strategy for training, recruiting and retaining construction workers, its council house programme could face higher costs, longer delays and fewer completed homes than it has promised.
