The UK needs more than 100,000 new plumbers, electricians and carpenters a year for the next three decades to bring older buildings into the 21st century.
The report, commissioned by the National Trust, the Crown Estate, Grosvenor, Peabody and other property groups, warns that the country “risks losing some of its cultural heritage” if there are not enough skilled workers to upgrade and preserve older stock. It added that this industry could be worth £35bn a year.
It claims that 105,000 new workers, who would focus solely on improving the sustainability credentials of buildings, will be needed every year for the next three decades if the UK is to meet its 2050 net zero target.
Around a fifth of homes in the UK, about 6.2m in total, were built more than a century ago. A third of all commercial buildings – about 600,000 – are also more than 100 years old.
The authors urge the government to set up a “national retrofit strategy”, with a focus on training the workers needed to carry out the refurbishments. It is also calling for changes to the apprenticeship levy.
Brexit and an ageing workforce has resulted in a nationwide shortage of electricians, carpenters, plumbers and scaffolders. Capital Economics warned last month that if nothing changed there would be a shortfall of 1m labourers in 10 years.
