INDUSTRY NEWS 11
Large consultancies will move out of UK if Brexit constrains staff movement
Nearly a quarter of large consultancy and engineering firms say they will consider moving jobs out of the UK if Brexit makes it more difficult to move staff around Europe, according to the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE). The ACE made the claim following a survey of its members, which revealed that Brexit is casting a shadow over the UK construction industry, with the consultancy and engineering sector set to be hit hard if access to the European single market is not maintained after the UK leaves the EU. Continued unfettered access to EU skilled nationals is vital to consultancy and engineering firms, many of whom will be designing and engineering some of the UK’s major infrastructure projects like HS2, Hinkley Point C and Heathrow Airport’s third runway. New research by the ACE has revealed that 22 per cent of large consultancy firms will consider moving jobs out of the UK if it becomes more difficult to move staff around Europe, potentially moving thousands of posts out of the country and jeopardising the delivery of major UK infrastructure projects. The UK construction industry as a whole
KEY FINDINGS INCLUDE:
• 22 per cent of large consultancy firms will consider moving jobs out of the UK if it becomes more difficult to move staff around Europe
• On average, 10 per cent of consultancy and engineering firms’ staff are from EU member states, which is higher than the construction industry average of 6 per cent
• 67 per cent of EU staff work in London and the south east, which is higher than the industry average
• UK workers in the sector are younger than the industry average
• EU nationals are younger than their UK counterparts
• 83 per cent of EU nationals in consultancy and engineering firms are aged 30-39, which makes them older than the industry average
• EU nationals have been used to help manage the skills gap
• 50 per cent of EU nationals are fee earners
• Continued recognition of UK qualifications will be important to EU nationals’ retention
could lose more than 175,000 EU workers, or 8 per cent of the sector’s workforce according to the ACE, if access to the European single market is not retained. According to the ACE, its report, The
effect of EU Migration on the UK Consultancy and Engineering Sector Post Brexit, for the first time compiles data on the impact of EU migration on the sector. ACE chief executive, Nelson Ogunshakin
said: “The report paints a worrying picture, and we will be using its contents in our discussions with the independent Migration Advisory Committee to help strengthen our arguments with hard data from member firms. “It is essential that we make ministers aware of the numbers of EU nationals working in consultancy and engineering firms, so that we can better inform Government policy making and highlight the difficulties the sector will encounter in a post-Brexit world.”
there should not be quotas for hiring women into construction. The survey revealed that the reasons
women don’t choose to work in construction include the working conditions (22 per cent), the lack of female role models (22 per cent) and because of the negative image of the industry (20 per cent). While 79 per cent of respondents said the construction industry has improved its approach in encouraging women into construction, 52 per cent have witnessed or experienced sexism within the industry.
Two-thirds of NIMBYs have house price worries
CCS launches campaign for women in construction
More needs to be done to change perceptions and encourage more women into construction, according to an industry survey conducted by the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS). The UK and Ireland campaign ‘Spotlight on women in construction’ has been launched by the CCS to boost the industry effort to attract more women into the construction industry. The scheme, which makes around 15,000
monitoring visits to construction sites, companies and suppliers every year, surveyed over 1000 people to find out why women still only represent a meagre 11 per cent of the construction industry workforce. 76 per cent of those surveyed said there are no construction jobs which only men can do, and 94 per cent agreed that the industry would benefit from employing more women. 74 per cent however said
Two-thirds of NIMBYs admit to being frustrated that the next generation can’t afford to buy their own home, according to the latest research by the FMB. According to the UK-wide survey, one-third of UK home owners are concerned about houses or flats being built in their community having a negative impact on where they live.
49 per cent of people meanwhile were reported to feel frustrated their children, grandchildren or great grandchildren cannot afford to buy a property in the same area as them.
Home owners in London were found to be the most likely to take an anti- development approach to new homes being built in their community, yet are also more likely to bemoan the inability of the next generation to buy a property nearby. The survey also revealed that more than one-third of home owners in England are NIMBYs, compared to only one-fifth of home owners in Northern Ireland. Brian Berry, chief executive of the FMB, commented on the results: “We need to accept that if we want to make housing affordable for the next generation, we need to be more positive about new homes being built in our area. “Not only are we not building enough homes right now, but we’ve been under-building in this country for decades. One key reason is the disproportionate power of the ‘not-in-my-back-yard’ brigade. “If we cannot significantly increase the delivery of new homes in the UK, then demand will continue to outstrip supply, ensuring that house prices and rents continue to rise.”
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