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The Guardian
3 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on construction workers: the country needs more of them, fast
During the 1980s, the construction industry provided the backdrop to one of Britain's best-loved television comedies. Auf Wiedersehen, Pet chronicled the progress of three Geordie bricklayers as they fled a recession-hit country to seek work in Düsseldorf. That was then. A contemporary reworking would need to start from a radically different premise. Notwithstanding the contribution of a large migrant workforce, the modern construction sector is underpowered and dramatically understaffed. Annual job vacancies total about 38,000, half of which cannot be filled due to a shortage of skills. For a government committed to sustainably building 1.5m new homes and environmentally upgrading the existing housing stock – as well as renewing national infrastructure more generally – that is a serious problem. The Construction Industry Training Board has estimated that between now and 2029, about 240,000 new hires will be needed. The education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, hopes that some of them will be alumni of 10 'new technical excellence colleges', whose locations were unveiled this week. The government has already pledged to invest £600m in the training of 60,000 construction workers by 2029. The 10 colleges are being handed another £100m to enhance the skillsets of a future generation of bricklayers, electricians, carpenters and plumbers. 'New' is stretching it a bit. All the colleges already exist and have a track record in offering construction courses. Whether the scale of the government's intervention is adequate to the size of the challenge is, to say the least, moot. But Ms Phillipson's apparent determination to prioritise the sector is both necessary and welcome. One in eight young people are currently not in education, employment or training; making vocational career paths accessible and attractive is a social as well as an economic imperative. Sadly, there is a vast amount of lost ground to make up. Overall investment in skills has dropped calamitously since 2010, and a myopic ministerial focus on universities has seen further education colleges treated as second-class institutions. The apprenticeship levy scheme introduced by the Conservatives in 2017 was a dismal failure, as employers invested in already skilled employees rather than entry-level opportunities. Via Skills England – the new body it has created – Labour has moved to reform the levy. But comparisons with Germany's longstanding vocational education system, which enjoys high status and delivers a rounded learning environment to students, remain deeply unflattering. The construction industry also has its own issues to resolve. Cultural expectations have transformed since the days when Auf Wiedersehen, Pet was broadcast. In a recent survey, more than a third of young people did not view a job in construction as a respected career path. More than half considered the sector not welcoming to women. Many employers are failing to invest in training. And as the use of migrant labour has become increasingly prevalent, there has been concerning evidence of exploitative practices. If hugely ambitious Westminster targets are to be met, foreign workers and new native talent will both be required (a home truth that the government is depressingly reluctant to acknowledge). Rendering the construction sector fit for purpose should be viewed as a national mission. The reward would be a viable vocational path for tens of thousands of young people. Labour is at least making a start. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
LA ICE raids send migrant workers into hiding
ICE raids across Los Angeles have driven the migrant workforce into hiding, sparking concerns over the sanctuary city's already rocky economic state. As the California city tries to recuperate from wildfires, businesses and developers have revealed they do not have the manpower to get these crucial jobs done. LA has one of the nation's largest immigrant workforces, with nearly 38 percent of workers originating outside the US, according to 2023 data. Estimates from the Public Policy Institute of California suggest than one in 10 workers in the Golden State are undocumented immigrants, while the Migration Policy Institute reports there are roughly 950,000 'unauthorized' residents in LA county. Donald Trump's immigration crackdown has sparked concern among a significant portion of LA's laborers - especially after a recent bout of raids. 'Papers or not, fear spreads quickly,' real estate consulting firm Hilgard Founding Principal Joshua Baum told Bloomberg . 'When workers do not feel safe showing up to job sites, it slows down not only the pace of construction but also the willingness to propose new projects in the first place.' Immigration agents arrested more than 1,600 people in LA between June 6 and June 22, Bloomberg reported. A prominent raid occurred as recently as the Fourth of July, with the City of West Hollywood condemning one conducted at a car wash that morning. As a result, job sites have been deserted, and construction and renovation projects have been delayed. 'We don't have enough people to staff the work and we're scrambling to figure it out,' Arturo Sneider, the CEO of Primestor, which manages more than 3,000 apartment development projects and $1.2 billion in shopping centers, told Bloomberg. Contributing to what many see as a labor crisis , more than 16,000 structures were wrecked by wildfires from Pacific Palisades to Altadena. The damage may cost LA more than $250 billion, the Los Angeles Times reported. In order to tackle rebuilding the affected areas, the Urban Land Institute reported 70,000 workers will have to be added to LA County's 145,000 construction force by mid-2026. Roughly 14.5 percent of LA construction workers are undocumented, according to the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. California filed a lawsuit over the use of the National Guard following the first deployment, claiming Trump 'trampled' the state's sovereignty and sent troops without the governor's permission. Meanwhile, city officials said the demonstrations will ultimately cost taxpayers $32 million. Last week, Trump sued LA for failing to comply with federal agents. LA Mayor Karen Bass vowed to fight against the lawsuit, claiming the raids are causing 'severe economic damage.' 'We know that Los Angeles is the test case, and we will stand strong,' Bass said. 'We do so because the people snatched off city streets and chased through parking lots are our coworkers, our neighbors, our family members, and they are Angelenos.' West Hollywood officials wrote in their Friday statement: 'We reaffirm: our immigrant communities are not threats — they are vital contributors to the social, cultural, and economic fabric of our city, our state, and our nation.' While local officials have pointed fingers at the Trump administration for LA's alarming economic state, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a blunt response.
