EU Workers Leave Construction Industry Ahead Of Brexit

 Construction companies up and down the country using concrete reinforcement leads are likely to feel a big impact when the UK leaves the European Union (EU) later this year, as many of its workers could return to Europe.

Speaking with the Guardian, loft conversion company owner Deepak Singh Udassi said Brexit would lead to a lot of changes for Britain’s construction industry, including its workforce.

He said: “A lot of the guys who worked for us are Eastern Europeans. They’re sick and tired of being political footballs and the Polish economy is strong, so we have lost a lot of guys who have gone home.”

Mr Udassi also noted that construction expenses have increased dramatically over the last couple of years, with the cost of tiles having risen by 20 per cent since 2016 when a small majority voted to leave the EU and timber prices having “shot up” by 15 per cent during this time as well.

This has compounded the problem of a lack of skilled workers, with many construction firms facing higher prices and fewer staff members to complete the projects they have been commissioned for.

Some construction businesses are making preparations for the economy to be hit by Brexit by reducing the number of permanent staff they have and employing more subcontractors instead.

This is according to the Federation of Master Builders’ State of Trade survey, which revealed 21 per cent of employers recorded a reduction in workforce. In addition to this, just 37 per cent of construction small and medium-sized enterprises are predicting their workloads will increase over the next three months.