UK ‘doesn’t have enough builders’ for Labour’s 1.5m homes
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yg1471rwpo
Posted by topotaul
UK ‘doesn’t have enough builders’ for Labour’s 1.5m homes
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yg1471rwpo
Posted by topotaul
34 Comments
No matter what they do, these homes will be “absolutely shocking”.
What are the typical profit margins on new builds?
Because an increase in wages to attract people to build houses will lead to an increase in the prices of new builds
If only we hadn’t removed ourselves from a trading bloc with tons of qualified labour for precisely this sort of thing
More demand more builders trained simple economics. Once the artificial dampener of planning rules is reduced watch the market provide supply to meet the absurd demand
We’re obsessed with getting university degrees and not obsessed enough with getting good tradesmen. You know which jobs are at risk from AI and general technological progress? Not the tradesmen. According to indeed the average carpenter makes £22.32 an hour. If I was 15 today I’d be seriously considering becoming an electrician. It’s practically impossible to find a good leccy where we live.
We all knew where this was going
*”We need more immigrants to build houses for the immigrants we need to build houses for the immigrants we need to build houses for the immigrants we need to build…”*
dont worry they will do nothing to help people retrain
If only there was a system where when you needed more of something you would offer to pay more and in doing so incentivise more people to provide that something.
What a wonderful world that would be.
Then how come my neighbour who does groundwork can’t find full time work. And when he gets a few weeks work it’s nearly 100 miles away
Are they all still far too busy building 40 new hospitals?
I don’t understand the need for so many homes though. Our population by normal means isn’t growing by much its because of all the immigrants the government has and continues to let in. So where is the need for these other 1.2 million homes?
Well stop funnelling people into pointless uni degrees, make it an attractive option at school level, provide training for people who want to switch careers into construction, and raise apprentice wages so people can afford to learn while as an apprentice?
I did a pointless uni degree and I’m strongly considering becoming an electrician.
If only there were a bunch of unemployed/underemployed people who could be upskilled.
If only there was some way to train more builders up… Getting a trade is every bit a path to success as any university degree. Brick layers, scaffolders, plumbers, sparkies, all great jobs that can and do pay really well. Hell, even learning to tile bathrooms can get you a great living.
If we trained our people and made it worthwhile working….. there are plenty of people
Well we could pay adults to do it…
Or we could stick with using cheap imported labour, and the thick kids.
Part of the problem is that the building trade doesn’t like to train it’s competition, thus only there and there friends son’s get apprenticeships.
Wait until they realise most of the skilled work force is leaving in February because they can’t renew their CSCS cards and all they have is Grandfather rights that are no longer going to be recognised.
Moved here from the states and my neighbor is an architect. (Shes filled me in alot dealing with this) The house i moved into was renovated just months ago before moving in.
Have to say its the cheapest work ive ever seen for top dollar at that. Tub over fill wasnt connected. First night taking bath… water flooding out the kitchen lights. Takes two days for the contractor to show up. Says the lights are water proof. Does nothings nothing to dry it out. Downstairs bathroom has rotten trim he painted over. Mold all thru the closet. New Radiator leaking into the wall causing mold there too. Guaranteed the work with the landlord so the guy who did this shit work is the one coming to fixing. Has done nothing but says he doesnt know the issue. With my half ass knowledge i could be better trades person than this shit.
Too many doctors and lawyers coming over by boat, can’t we stop them and take the builders,engineers, and architects instead?
Not to mention there’s not enough bricks. Current wait times for new brick orders are about 3 years. If you have a few million to invest, build a brick factory and thank me later.
There’s always been a stigma at school and college when you go into the trades. Going into construction is considered failure in this country and you’re likely to get scoffed at by your friends working in call centres and doing pointless degrees.
As someone who went straight into carpentry ive been telling my friends about the skill shortage for years. Seems it’s finally hitting home.
Made a really decent living in the last 15 years long may it continue… looks like it’s going to
Isn’t that obvious though. The size of any workforce is influenced by the size and demand of a particular sector for workers. If demand for those workers spike overnight, then you won’t have enough workers which means you have to bridge the gap by either hiring foreigners or training British nationals
I know a few tradesman and to a person in their 60’s their bodies are fucked. My mates a plumber, very early 60’s and he’s just had a major operation on his shoulder. It’s unlikely he’ll ever go back to his trade.
Office work is pretty attractive when you consider the long term effects.
There’s always an excuse. Too many people, not many people, too much skilled labor, not enough skilled labor and it goes on and on.
It’s anecdotal but I know two young sparkies, a plumber and a roofer who’ve all just moved to Australia in the last 6 months. These are skilled valuable trades and we’ve made them feel like there’s nothing for them here. As a country we are in serious trouble.
Although this is a genuine concern, it’s not the end of the world. Contractors could develop less-labour-intensive methods of building – pre-fabricated, factory/robot manufactured sections, needing relatively few site workers to assemble.
Meanwhile, we need to acknowledge that the last thing the construction industry wants to do is solve the housing crisis. Their profits depend on ever-rising house prices.
There are currently over 1m planning-approved homes *not* being built.
Modular homes is one option lets start to invest in technology to help PLEASE
Cus the pay is shit for such a body destroying job. Understandably people dont want to fuck up their health. And just as important, not wanting to be utterly knackered out that you spend the rest of the day resting up instead of enjoying yourself.
Net migration 700k and none of them can build the homes they need to live in
Anyone on this thread is welcome to become a builder.
Bring back the old skill centers, The six month wonders got us out of a trade shortage in the past, Start now and by the time the footings are dug you will have indigenous labor and a shorter dole queue.
Because our domestic labour force are all burdened with useless degrees and working in coffee shops…
Again another thread where people cry out “Just become a builder! Just become a plumber! The streets are paved with gold and they hand you a puppy!” /s
In reality, building firms are now largely sole traders, who absolutely, categorically, do not want to take on apprentices or new hires – training young people is time not spent doing the work, and that’s not money in your pocket to retire from your job that has no pension plan or holiday time – ‘cos you’re a sole trader.
Like with so much in our modern economy, every business wants every other business to do the legwork as it’s all short-termism. Lorry companies not paying to train new drivers, but instead trying to poach others; MATs in schools churning through endless cycles of newly-qualified teachers, then firing them before they mature on the pay scale; large retail stores where there is no real progression between floor worker and district manager, so all the actual management and day-to-day running is done by people on minimum wage, standing side by side with people who only stack shelves also on minimum wage.
But what about all the Africans who arrived here illegally ?
Can they not build the homes ?