Since 2016, the IER has produced an annual report on the characteristics of international migrant workers in the UK construction industry. This project replicates the report, using data for 2022 from the UK Labour Force Survey. The construction sector recovered strongly from the recession caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns during 2021 and 2022 and patterns of migration were affected by the exit of the UK from the European Union. Broadly, the number of migrant workers from EU countries declined, while the number from non-EU countries increased. The data presented in this report shows how the migration profile of workers in the industry changed as recovery continued. The report also reviews evidence on migration to the construction sector in other data sources such as visas and PAYE data on employees. This shows that though international migrants have been largely responsible for maintaining the workforce as the number of UK-born workers has declined, international migration is less significant than for many other industries.

Project Team:

Dr David Owen (Principal Investigator)

Project Duration:

November 2023 - November 2024

Project Funder: