Homeowner planning applications in Wales have dropped 15% in two years, the steepest fall anywhere in England and Wales, but the industry is still short of skilled workers. Wales must act now on its construction skills shortage or it will be unable to make the most of an economic recovery, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) Cymru has warned.
New figures from the Planning Portal, which handles 95% of planning applications in England and Wales, show that applications from homeowners in Wales have fallen by 15% over the past two years.
Even with demand this weak, builders are already struggling to find skilled workers. The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) estimates that Wales needs to recruit an average of 1,240 extra construction workers every year to meet expected demand. Instead, the sector is losing around 300 workers a year.
When homeowners regain confidence and start investing in large renovations again that gap will widen, says FMB Cymru. It would hold back the recovery and Wales’s plans to make its existing homes warmer and more energy efficient.
Ifan Glyn, Director of FMB Cymru, said:
“The market is down, particularly here in Wales, yet we already face a shortage of skilled builders. When confidence returns and homeowners start investing again, that shortage will bite even harder.
“If we don’t train people now, we won’t have the workforce to seize the opportunity when recovery comes. Renovation work is the perfect moment to add energy efficiency and retrofit measures, but only if there are skilled people to do it. That’s why apprenticeship reform matters. We need a system that works for the small building companies that train so many of our future tradespeople."
Marc Reardon FMB Cymru President, added:
“Small builders are the backbone of training in Wales. Most of us learned our trade on site from someone who gave us a chance, and we want to do the same for the next generation. But taking on an apprentice is a big commitment for a small firm, in time, money and paperwork, and right now the system makes that harder than it should be.
“Every apprentice we train today is a skilled tradesperson ready for when the work comes back. If we wait for the recovery before we start training, we’ll already be too late.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
- Planning Portal data covers 95% of planning applications in England and Wales. Wales saw a 15% fall in homeowner applications over the past two years.
- The CITB estimates Wales needs an average of 1,240 additional construction workers a year. The sector is currently losing around 300 workers a year.
- The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) is the UK’s largest trade association for small building companies.
- Media contact: media@fmb.org.uk
