A group representing small construction firms has warned the Government not to close the door to migrant builders after Brexit as new figures revealed a slowdown in growth, rising materials prices and increasingly severe labour shortages.
Fewer than a third of members of the Federation of Master Builders saw their workloads grow in the three months to September, down from 42% in the previous quarter, and a slim majority see no sign of growth in the near future.
Builders fear plans for a clampdown on “low-skilled” migration after Britain leaves the European Union could exacerbate an existing labour shortage in the sector.
