Ever since that fateful day on the 23rd of June 2016 the vote to leave the European Union has been a hot topic. Even six months on there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered, from our current Prime Minister Theresa May. The much anticipated speech has come just two months before Article 50 is set to be triggered, and negotiations held with our European neighbours.
Obviously there has been many issues raised by the construction industry over how the negotiations with Europe’s leaders will take place, and how it will affect the colossal industry. The biggest concern for the construction industry is around the controversial topic of freedom of movement.
There is a skill shortage in the UK’s construction industry especially when it comes to ‘specialised’ jobs. The standard approach to this from construction firms in the UK has been to outsource, the EU has the skilled workers necessary to complete such tasks or projects but are not required full time. Most outsourced skilled labourers have come from the EU but with the limitations that are soon to come with the freedom of movement, there is a huge concern for the construction industry regarding access to skilled labour going into the future.
Construction firms are obviously concerned that Brexit will affect their ability to resource, this could lead to construction firms having a resourcing crisis and losing substantial business. All because they cannot provide the skills required to complete jobs and projects. With the “control of immigration” this looks a likely possibility.
Representatives of the construction industry have been voicing their concerns over this volatile topic with few details to show as of yet.
The upside to this situation is that the change in the free movement of people will not be instant. Instead it will be phased in over several years, this will allow for companies who will be affected by such a change to get some answers. It will also allow for them to compensate and come up with solutions to the problem, this could include creating the roles in-house.
This is just one of many issues that Brexit pose on the construction industry. Let Fairport know your opinion on the issue.
