Click to add more trades to the shortage list

A major construction industry body is pushing for more trade roles to be added to the government’s shortage occupation list because of the difficulties employers are facing in filling crucial jobs.

The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has called for 13 occupations – including steel erectors, sheet metal workers and road construction operators – to be included in the list, making it easier to hire overseas.

In an updated report to the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), which advises the government on migration policy, the CLC said the delivery of key infrastructure projects depended on these roles being filled (see box below for the full list).

“The occupations listed in this report are essential to the implementation of national priority projects, providing the growth stimulus for other industries by building the infrastructure they depend on and providing significant public value,” he said.

He added that the level of English required by migrants was proving to be a “significant and widespread blocker” for potential applicants and offered to work with the government to improve the process.

Five trades were added to the list following an interim MAC review in March: masons and masons; carpenters and joiners; roofs, tiles and slates; plasters and dry linings; and a general category of construction and building trades that includes roles such as carpenters, bellmen and builders.

In response to a new call for evidence, the CLC has asked that these roles and eight others be included in the MAC’s final review, which will be published in August.

Five of the new categories: steel assemblers; sheet metal workers; welding trades; architecture and urban planning technicians; and business and related associate professionals – are classified as skilled worker occupations.

Construction leaders are also pushing for the addition of three low-skilled groups – road construction workers, mobile machine drivers and basic construction occupations – because of the “extreme difficulty” companies face in access to domestic labor and the essential nature of these support functions. to the delivery of construction projects.

The CLC also opposes the proposal to remove the wage discount benefit for shortage occupations whose operating rate is above the general wage threshold, arguing that a wage discount is appropriate for all occupations in short supply, whatever the prevailing rate.

“Jobs are by definition in short supply, so the risk of undercutting UK workers is reduced and has to be balanced against the need to fill positions in the short term,” he said.