UK workers outnumbered by foreigners on London sites

Migrant workers now outnumber UK builders on most London construction sites.

The dramatic impact of the flood of foreign workers was highlighted at a Government select committee inquiry into construction last week.

MPs heard that 40% of construction workers in London were migrants in 2006 - up from just 21.5% in 2001. And experts at Ucatt now believe that that number has risen to the point where foreign workers are now in the majority in the capital.

A UCATT spokesman confirmed: "It's possible that it has now topped 50% in London, although it's impossible to get totally accurate information on migrant labour in London."

UCATT general secretary Alan Ritchie described the government figures as "startling".

He said: "They underline the complete failure of the construction industry to train sufficient skilled domestic workers. We should welcome migrant workers as they play a key role in our industry, but they must not be seen as a cheap option."

The Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Committee heard that nationwide the overall proportion of migrant construction workers in the UK has risen from 4.6% of the workforce in 2001 to 7.7% in 2006.

The figures were revealed as David Metcalf, the government's adviser on migration policy, told a House of Lords economic committee that UK firms may not be able to train enough local construction workers in time for the London 2012 Olympics.

Metcalf, head of the new Migration Advisory Council, also warned that a lack of local skills could endanger the government's target of three million new homes by 2020 and called for a rethink on the current ban of non-EU unskilled workers.

The revelations are placing new pressure on the sector to deliver increased levels of apprenticeships, as well as on-the-job training.

Paul Newitt, new business manager for apprenticeships at ConstructionSkills, said: "In London we currently have around 100 young people still looking for employers."

Training local workers will become even more vital if the flood of foreign workers dries up. One London contractor said: "There seems to have been an endless supply of foreign workers but that won't last forever. They go where the money is, so if things dip in the UK other EU countries will become more attractive and drink up all the labour, leaving us with not a lot."