The building industry in the UK is calling on the Government to help with convincing workers from the European Union that they should stay on with just 12 month to go until Brexit Day.
The call from the Federation of Master Builders comes as it reveals new research which shows those currently employing EU workers cannot manage without them and believe they are good employees.
A new survey of the bosses of small and medium-sized (SME) construction firms found that 94% of firms describe the quality of EU workers they employ as good or very good.
Some 85% of construction SME employers that employ EU workers say that these workers are important in allowing their business to maintain and expand its workforce.
And the survey also found that 76% of these firms say it would have a negative impact on the health of their business if any of the EU workers they employ returned to their country of origin, now or post-Brexit.
‘With exactly a year to go until Brexit Day, our research demonstrates the extent to which the UK construction industry values its EU workers. The UK construction sector is more reliant than most on migrant workers from Europe and at present, 9% of our construction workers are from the EU,’ said Brian Berry, FMB chief executive, adding that in London, this rises for nearly one third.
‘Given the severity of the skills shortages we already face, retaining these workers is business critical. Our research sends a strong and positive message from the construction industry to its EU workers. We’re now calling on the Government to step up and help us convince our EU workers that they are needed and warmly welcome,’ Berry explained.
Ministers recently announcement that those who have lived in the UK for five years, or those who arrive from the EU during the transition period, will be able to apply for settled status and Berry described this as a huge step in the right direction, but he warned that this is not well known among workers.
‘We’re already seeing EU workers return home for financial reasons, or simply because they don’t feel welcome, so time is of the essence. The Government and the industry must do all that they can to put positive messages across to our vital and highly valued EU workers,’ Berry concluded.
