A lack of awareness by businesses about how to sponsor migrant workers through the government’s points-based system is hurting the sector’s ability to recruit, the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has warned.
In a new report, the skills body also found that the proportion of foreign workers in construction fell from 10.7% in 2018 to 9.8% in 2021, the latest year for which data is available.
He adds that only half of employers are aware of the government’s points-based system, introduced after Brexit, which requires those coming to work in the UK to meet specific requirements for which they earn points.
In most cases, employers are required to obtain sponsor licenses to hire migrants. But CITB research found that only 7% of employers in the sector had signed up as sponsors.
CITB’s head of industry analysis and forecasting, Marcus Bennett, said: “We need to make construction an attractive place for a greater diversity of people to work, improving working practices, flexibility and the way to hire”.
James Butcher, director of policy for the National Federation of Builders and chairman of the Construction Leadership Council’s (CLC) people movement task force, says in a foreword to the report that the bureaucracy of the new sponsorship rules “it’s causing a headache for construction.” .
But he adds: “Whatever the political context, migration will always be part of our skill mix. This analysis shows that migration plays an important role in helping construction companies fill hiring gaps, allowing us to respond to fluctuations in construction demand, which is so sensitive to the economic cycle.”
Earlier this year, five trades were added to the government’s shortage occupation list, making it easier for them to recruit from abroad. These were: popsicles and popsicles; carpenters and joiners; roofs, tiles and slates; plasters and dry linings; and a general building and construction trades category that includes roles such as pullers and bellmen.
The CLC has recently called for 13 more posts to be added to the list due to the shortage of manpower in the sector.
Last week it was announced that Mark Farmer would undertake a major review of the CITB and an assessment of whether there was an ongoing need. The Department of Education is expected to open a call for tests on the new exam shortly.
A guide to using the post-Brexit sponsorship scheme can be read here.
