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18 COMMENT THE INDUSTRY ADVOCATE


Brian Berry, chief executive of the Federation of Master Builders


WHY THE ‘SKILLS’ DEFINITION CUTS OUT KEY TRADES


Brian Berry of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), critiques the Government’s current post-Brexit immigration policies, explaining how they could damage the construction industry.


IT IS UNLIKELY THE INDUSTRY WILL BE ABLE TO BUILD THE AMBITIOUS HOUSING NUMBERS WITHOUT AN IMMIGRATION SYSTEM THAT WORKS FOR THE SECTOR


WWW.HBDONLINE.CO.UK


t is now well established that the house- building industry is facing a skills shortage. The 2018 FMB House Builders’ Survey of small and medium-sized (SME) housebuilders found that 44 per cent of firms are citing a short- age of skilled workers as a constraint to building more homes. When asked to look ahead over the next three years, this concern overtook access to finance for the first time.


I While it is critical that the industry ‘ups its


game’ in terms of training and apprenticeships, and modern methods of construction are starting to reduce the need for labour, realistically it is unlikely the industry will be able to build the Government’s ambitious housing numbers without an immigration system that works for the sector. The Immigration Bill that is currently passing


through Parliament will put an end to freedom of movement, and this will be replaced by a new global skills-based immigration system. This was set out in the Government’s Immigration White Paper, published just before Christmas, and the Home Office has said it will engage with different sectors over the next year before it finalises any


new rules. The construction industry was one of the first sectors to engage with the Home Office as part of this process when industry bodies jointly hosted a Parliamentary round table at which officials from the MHCLG and BEIS, and a number of MPs from the relevant select commit- tees, were present. A number of concerns were raised about the proposals.


THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE GOVERNMENT’S DEFINITION OF ‘SKILL’ The White Paper makes clear that the new immigration system will prioritise ‘high skilled’ roles over ‘low skilled’ and that salary will be used as a proxy for skill. Currently, to apply for a skilled visa if you are from outside the EU, you need to be earning at least £30,000 and the Government has said it is their intent to extend this to EU nationals. However, after much political pressure, Ministers have said this will now be subject to a consultation process. The Government has also said skilled visas will only be available for roles at a qualification level of 3 or above, which is equivalent to an A- Level. The combination of the salary and skill


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