Wanted – 4,000 more QSs for extra housing plans

Over 4,000 extra QSs would be needed to deliver increased housing supply in the UK, a shock new report claims.

The research, backed by the CITB Construction Skills and the Home Builders Federation (HBF), claims 4,200 extra QS recruits would be needed to build 300,000 houses a year. This figure assumed productivity in housebuilding remained the same over future years.

A review into housing supply by economist Kate Barker last year said the output of housing needed to increase from 190,000 to between 250,000 and 300,000.

If the 250,000 figure was met there would need to be 2,300 extra QSs, the CITB/HBF report added.

The report, called The Labour Need of Extra Housing Output: Can the Housebuilding Industry Cope? found that if productivity improvements were made, such as increased use of modern methods of construction, and existing skilled staff switched to housing, the extra QS workforce needed would be considerably smaller – 600 QSs for 250,000 houses and 800 for 300,000.

The report’s author, academic and economist Michael Ball, stressed that the results were based on estimates but added that he was surprised at the results for QSs.

Ball, a director at UPE Consultancy, said: “There is not much detailed labour information available so I would emphasise that these are estimates. I expected to see major shortages of tradespeople but it turns out that there are key people on the professional side that are in short supply as well.”

Michael Ball, director, UPE Consultancy

There are key people on the professional side in short supply

The report surveyed 20 leading housebuilders and found that QSs ranked the highest among the skills in short supply (see box). Ball said: “It’s clearly a necessary skill for housing and it’s difficult for housebuilders to recruit in.”

The report called for further detailed investigation into the precise skills required of professionals in housebuilding.

It said: “Many present quantity surveyors do not have full RICS level accreditation. It is debatable how many will need such levels in the future.”

The RICS said the skills shortage was a major one although the institution was unable to comment on the specific numbers quoted in the report.

Director of education and training Rob Tovey said there was a major shortage of QSs in their 30s due to the recession in the early 1990s. He added that there was more confidence regarding new QS recruits entering the industry. He said: “The cavalry is on the horizon. There are more people taking courses, especially post-graduate degrees, and more courses themselves.”