Latest government statistics show impact of inflation and industrial action
More than one in three construction businesses experienced a shortage of workers in late November, according to the Office for National Statistics.
According to the body’s business insights and impact on the UK economy publication, just over 36% of firms are struggling to find staff.
The tight labour market may be contributing to rising pay in the sector, with the study finding that 16.6% of firms with 10 or more employees had increased hourly wages in October.
It also revealed the impact of the autumn strike wave, with 12.2% of construction companies reporting that their business had been affected by industrial action in October, with 47.6% reportedly unaffected.
The ONS figures were followed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s monthly building materials and components statistics, which showed high levels of year-on-year inflation.
The construction material price index for October was 15.5% higher than for the same month the previous year.
Gravel, sand, clays and kaolin, including the impact of the aggregate levy, saw the highest price increases year-on-year, going up 56.7%, while imported sawn or planed wood saw the largest price decrease at 19.9%.
The value of construction material exports decreased £514m in the third quarter, down 8.2% on the previous quarter, while exports increased by £26m, a rise of 1.2%.
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