The UK construction industry currently employees more than 165,000 EU citizens, and while the Government has made assurances that they will be able to continue living and working here after the 29 March, uncertainty is growing regarding the impact that ‘No Deal’ will have on the sector.

ACE has joined over 100 of its industry peers by contributing to and backing a new report released by the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) outlining a series of recommendations for businesses in the sector concerning labour and skills in the event of a ‘No Deal’ Brexit.  

The key recommendations of the report are: 

• The construction industry should proactively provide information to its EU employees about how to secure ‘settled’ or ‘pre-settled status’ in the UK, as well as helping to provide any additional evidence that may be requested by the Home Office for the application.

• The CLC and industry will promote the Government’s guidance to workers in the sector more widely, including introducing information centres at some major UK project sites.

• Government and industry to work together to ensure that all of the eligible EU citizens currently living in the UK and working in the construction sector are able to register for settled or pre-settled status.

• The Government needs to review the proposed future migration system to ensure that it is fit for purpose for construction and to avoid dramatic labour shortage in the construction sector:

• Reduce the required qualification level for a skilled worker to NVQ Level 2 to reflect the industry skilled status.

• The salary threshold for a skilled worker to be set at the median level, which is significantly below the £30,000 currently proposed.

• Adjust short term worker visa to 24 months to allow the industry to meet its short-term workforce requirements.

• Ensure in the event of a ‘No Deal’ Brexit the mutual recognition of qualifications across the EU and UK is prioritised.

 The full report can be downloaded here