The Guardian view on construction workers: the country needs more of them, fast | Editorial

Historical neglect of vocational training means the sector has a mountain to climb if government housebuilding and infrastructure targets are to be metDuring the 1980s, the construction industry provided the backdrop to one of Britain’s best-loved television comedies. Auf Wiedersehen, Pet chronicled the progress of three Geordie bricklayers as they fled a recession-hit country to seek work in Düsseldorf. That was then. A contemporary reworking would need to start from a radically different premise.Notwithstanding the contribution of a large migrant workforce, the modern construction sector is underpowered and dramatically understaffed. Annual job vacancies total about 38,000, half of which cannot be filled due to a shortage of skills. For a government committed to sustainably building 1.5m new homes and environmentally upgrading the existing housing stock – as well as renewing national infrastructure more generally – that is a serious problem. The Construction Industry Training Board has estimated that between now and 2029, about 240,000 new hires will be needed.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Comments

Opinions

Miranda Devine: Bumbling Obama aides actually admit Russiagate was a smear campaign against Trump

Oh. My. God. Albo comment about what Hamas wants leaves egg all over PM's face: PETER VAN ONSELEN

Yes, I've been caught speeding but don't dare tell me I can't drive just because I'm old: JENNI MURRAY

Labour's class war is about to get worse. This mean and petty act takes your money from your children. Could Rachel Reeves be so stupid? Yes she could: STEPHEN GLOVER

Where does Trump go when he needs a little vacation?

Ignore the blowhard activists— keep horse carriages in Central Park

America has PLENTY of reason to believe Adam Schiff schemed to smear Trump

Ukraine peace is in reach — if Trump meets Putin’s demands with US vigor

Next target for our arrogant, ignorant ‘experts’: organ donors

Mamdani’s ‘public safety’ agenda is barely even voodoo

Big Brother is watching you — but this homeowner made him back down

The corner bakery with the BEST hot sauce you'll ever taste + Byron Bay's adults-only secret and Australia's bougiest travel trackies: THE DETOUR

Palestine statehood is a cruel fiction, Democrats need a new agenda ASAP and other commentary

MAUREEN CALLAHAN: Meghan's most galling hypocrisy yet... and a looming new Kate Middleton clash. Did she really think we wouldn't notice?

How was a subway hijacking teen arrested 12 times and let go by judges 5 times in just a year? Toxic empathy

Letters to the Editor: Mountain lion attack reminds us of the need to peacefully coexist with wildlife

Rachel Reeves is coming after your inheritance, this is what you should do NOW to protect yourself, writes SIMON LAMBERT

Marcus Rashford claims United are in 'no-man's land' but the same goes for him - he had the chance to be part of the solution and blew it: RIATH AL-SAMARRAI

I was mistakenly added to the school moms' group chat... the messages about my new body enhancement were the most hurtful: DEAR JANE

Best of the Babylon Bee: Trump gerrymanders US to include Canada

Administration looks preferable to leaving Thames Water's debt sharks in charge, says ALEX BRUMMER

Michael Goodwin: Mamdani’s NYC borough tour attacking Trump smacks of amateur hour

CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews In Flight on Ch4: Spare a thought for the Bulgarian tourist board after this dark thriller

My night of misery in A&E for a broken ankle left me in tears. I was treated with indifference verging on contempt. The NHS is broken: SARAH VINE

Mattel suing ‘Coffee with Ken’ podcast is some David vs. Goliath-style bullying

I was a track champion — until the NCAA replaced me with a man

New York state’s headed deep into the red — but Albany will ‘rely’ on denial

The Post’s Eric Adams support: Letters to the Editor — Aug. 13, 2025

Just say no to Big Dope — and its push for even more legal marijuana

Think Blas’ relationship with the cops was bad? Mamdani will be much worse

Mamdani’s ‘war’ against Trump spells bad news for NYC

At Trump-Putin summit, a non-negotiable demand: return Ukraine’s kidnapped kids

Why Putin thinks he can win in Ukraine despite huge Russian death toll

Letters to the Editor: Why cut one of the programs designed to mitigate our own fossil-fuel damage?

Letters to the Editor: UCLA needs to fight back against Trump's 'attempted extortion'

Letters to the Editor: Sorry, EV drivers. It's time to make room in the carpool lane for actual carpools

The old-fashioned sex tips that actually work - including the toe-curling oral technique that's been bedroom gospel for decades... and the seven words ALL men love to hear

Biden's daughter Ashley has finally admitted her diary about 'showers with dad' as well as fears she was 'molested' is real. So, MAUREEN CALLAHAN demands: What IS the truth, Joe?

Contributor: Executive order to institutionalize homeless people defies data

Hedge fund raider must be opposed by Third Point investors, says ALEX BRUMMER

Young Albo would be proud of himself. But the Albo of today owes two people an apology for what he said at the Cabinet table: Political insider PETER VAN ONSELEN on what lies behind PM's Palestine call

PETER HITCHENS: I'm pleased public sentiment on Lucy Letby has shifted - but there's still one puzzle in this case that would baffle even Sherlock Holmes

NADINE DORRIES: My daughters were publicly humiliated after I kept a huge secret from them. Here's what it taught me about how Beatrice and Eugenie can recover from Prince Andrew scandals

Washington, DC has only itself to blame for Trump’s law-and-order takeover

Back in the ‘60s I got all dolled up — with my very own lookalike toy

To fix gender relations, log off, winning by losing slowly and other commentary

New York’s huge budget gaps leave no dough for Mamdani’s big-spending dreams

If Eric Adams gets ousted in November, say goodbye to progress on NYC subway safety

Trump’s takeover of DC policing is entirely sensible and a win for the people of Washington

NYC schools are still failing to teach over 40% of kids — and it may soon get WORSE

Privileged Zohran Mamdani’s sweet rent deal exposes the brutal truth about NYC’s housing crisis

CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews Celebs Go Dating on E4: Television hits the most wretched abyss with this atrocity of a series

EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Erin finds the jewel in her Crown - a new leading lady

AG Tish and Sen. Schiff’s alleged fraud peril: Letters to the Editor — Aug. 12, 2025

Zohran Mamdani’s $2,300 rent scandal exposes who this ‘socialist’ is really looking after first —himself

At Alaska summit, Trump has one play for Ukraine peace: Call Putin’s bluff

RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: In Lawless Britain the 'rights' of scumbags are put ahead of innocent shopkeepers and abused Jewish women

Letters to the Editor: Family lines are nice, but John Wayne Airport has a more pressing concern

Contributor: Six decades after the Watts riots, too little has changed

Doctor warns common medication could put patients at risk of organ damage - and the vital test that can detect dysfunction