Construction has long been recognised as a high-risk sector for labour market non-compliance. It is also a sector crucial to the UK economy and to meeting the Government’s housebuilding goals. If it is to meet these housebuilding goals, then hundreds of thousands more workers will be needed in the industry.

The need for more workers will likely be recognised by the Government. Construction occupations are expected to be included in the Migration Advisory Committee’s final temporary shortage list, due to be published in July 2026, allowing the industry, at least in the short term, to have a migration route to legally recruit migrant workers.

However, if migrant workers do not have safe and fair visa conditions then we will continue to see high rates of exploitation in construction. There is also a need to solve the underlying factors that cause labour shortages and make construction a more attractive sector to work in. 

In Strong Foundations: The UK’s construction sector needs effective labour standards we examine the structural drivers of exploitation in the sector, from subcontracting chains to under-resourced enforcement, and set out what is needed to ensure new migration pathways support, rather than undermine, labour standards.