Brexit: measuring the impact upon skilled labour in the UK construction industry

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present an understanding of the potential impact of Brexit upon the UK construction industry. Specifically, the work analyses the construction industry’s reliance upon European Union (EU) skilled labour and seeks to determine the potential impact that Brexit poses upon EU skilled labour entering the sector. Design/methodology/approach A perceptual questionnaire survey was used to elicit responses from construction professionals using the two techniques of opportunity and snowballing non-probability sampling. Summary statistical analysis of Boolean and Likert item scale data accrued was employed to elucidate upon respondents’ perceptions. Findings The majority of survey participants either “strongly agreed” or “agreed” that the UK construction industry relies upon EU skilled labour and that a career in the sector would not be attractive for foreign skilled labour post-Brexit. Future research proposed includes: predicting future trends in labour supply and demand and deriving new policies to address skills shortage imbalances that may be created by Brexit. Originality/value Original insight into an historic and unprecedented moment for the UK construction industry is presented. The work also provides pragmatic recommendations to policy makers and Higher Education Institutes to prevent the risk of Brexit further exacerbating skilled labour shortages within the industry.

[1]  Stephen Daly.  The Taxing Consequences of Brexit , 2016 .

[2]  Paul Johnson,et al.  The EU single market: the value of membership versus access to the UK , 2016 .

[3]  M. Goodwin,et al.  The 2016 Referendum, Brexit and the Left Behind: An Aggregate-level Analysis of the Result , 2016 .

[4]  J. Portes.  Immigration, free movement and the EU referendum , 2016, National Institute Economic Review.

[5]  J. Rowley.  Designing and using research questionnaires , 2014 .

[6]  John Francis Fien,et al.  Drivers of change in construction training: How significant is the sustainability agenda? , 2014 .

[7]  Oddgeir Friborg,et al.  A comparison of open-ended and closed questions in the prediction of mental health , 2013 .

[8]  Uma Jogulu,et al.  Mixed methods: a research design for management doctoral dissertations , 2011 .

[9]  P. Farrell.  Writing a Built Environment Dissertation: Practical Guidance and Examples , 2011 .

[10]  Ingrid M. Nembhard,et al.  Qualitative and Mixed Methods Provide Unique Contributions to Outcomes Research , 2009, Circulation.

[11]  Claire M. Woolley,et al.  Meeting the Mixed Methods Challenge of Integration in a Sociological Study of Structure and Agency , 2009 .

[12]  Stephen Ison,et al.  Trends of skills and productivity in the UK construction industry , 2008 .

[13]  Eric Sandelands,et al.  Reflecting on the skills agenda: a construction industry perspective , 2008 .

[14]  A. Dainty,et al.  Resolving the UK construction skills crisis: a critical perspective on the research and policy agenda , 2007 .

[15]  S. Gates,et al.  Maximising response to postal questionnaires – A systematic review of randomised trials in health research , 2006, BMC medical research methodology.

[16]  A. Onwuegbuzie,et al.  Mixed Methods Research: A Research Paradigm Whose Time Has Come , 2004 .

[17]  Robert MacKenzie,et al.  Cementing skills: training and labour use in UK construction , 2004 .

[18]  P. Williamson,et al.  Design and analysis of pilot studies: recommendations for good practice. , 2004, Journal of evaluation in clinical practice.

[19]  H. Bradbury,et al.  Action Research , 2003 .

[20]  E. V. Van Teijlingen,et al.  The importance of pilot studies. , 2002, Nursing standard (Royal College of Nursing (Great Britain) : 1987).

[21]  Joseph Janes,et al.  Survey research design , 2001 .

[22]  Louise Morley,et al.  Producing New Workers: Quality, equality and employability in higher education , 2001 .

[23]  W. Graham,et al.  The importance of conducting and reporting pilot studies: the example of the Scottish Births Survey. , 2001, Journal of advanced nursing.

[24]  R. Atkinson,et al.  Accessing Hidden and Hard-to-Reach Populations: Snowball Research Strategies , 2022 .

[25]  A. Akintoye,et al.  UK construction skills shortage response strategies and an analysis of industry perceptions , 2000 .

[26]  Mark Ebers,et al.  Preface: The Construction, Forms, and Consequences of Industry Networks , 1997 .

[27]  J. Kitzinger.  The methodology of focus groups: the importance of interaction between research participants , 1994 .

[28]  J. Morse.  Critical Issues in Qualitative Research Methods , 1993 .

[29]  G. Barker,et al.  Influences on adolescent sexuality in Nigeria and Kenya: findings from recent focus-group discussions. , 1992, Studies in family planning.

[30]  M. Zimmerman,et al.  Assessing the acceptability of NORPLANT implants in four countries: findings from focus group research. , 1990, Studies in family planning.

[31]  Georg Forster,et al.  Construction Site Studies: Production Administration and Personnel , 1989 .

[32]  P. Biernacki,et al.  Snowball Sampling: Problems and Techniques of Chain Referral Sampling , 1981 .

[33]  P. Valentini.  The Portuguese in the Track of Columbus (1493). Part 4 , 1889 .