Employment in the UK construction industry is now 390,000 lower than at its 2008 peak. So far, the lack of skilled labour has primarily affected the house-building sector. As the wider industry activity picks up, however, this issue is likely to spread across the industry. In the short-term, it is already putting upward pressure on costs. In the medium-term, the forecast growth will not be possible without significant investment in skills.

At HET we believe that the skills shortage and upward pressure on costs, particularly on labour, is already impacting on the home extension market and we expect this to mirror the wider construction industry as these pressures continue to grow.

Source: ONS, Construction Products Association, August 2015