Supply issues hampering construction

A shortage of construction workers and building materials could slow the building of new homes and push up labour costs amid rising demand for property in the UK, according to theConstruction Market Survey, produced by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The report found that 36% of respondents claim that labour shortages are already hampering building with bricklayers especially hard to find. However, despite these concerns, RICS said that 74% more chartered surveyors in the study expected activity to increase rather than decrease during 2014. Meanwhile, Grahame Barn, director of the Federation of Master Builders, Scotland, has called for a drive in training and apprenticeships to combat the skills shortage in the construction sector. Separately, results from Hays show net fees from jobs in construction and property in the UK rose 21% while the firm recruited more architects in the past six months than it did in the past four years.

The Daily Telegraph