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Are tradespeople really leaving Britain?

Journalist: Jon Brady, Daily Mail

ended 03. March 2026

The Telegraph is reporting that tradespeople are quitting the United Kingdom for sunnier climes such as Australia and Spain because of a lack of jobs and high taxes.

Construction firms - are you seeing a drop in available labour? Have you had staff leave? What are you seeing happening in the industry? And what are the wider problems and consequences associated with failing to tackle the decline in workers?

2 responses from the Newspage community

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Nouran Moustafa
Practice Principal & IFA at Roxton Wealth
We are absolutely hearing similar feedback from across the construction and trades market. Labour shortages and recruitment challenges have become more acute not just because of people leaving the UK, but because the pipeline of new skilled workers isn’t being replenished quickly enough.
Yes, some experienced tradespeople are exploring opportunities abroad where wages can be higher and tax regimes more favourable. Brexit and changes to migration policy have also reduced the pool of EU workers who traditionally filled critical gaps. At the same time, costs of living pressures and business overheads are squeezing margins for firms trying to retain talent.
The wider consequence of failing to tackle this labour decline is simple: project delays, higher costs and reduced capacity to meet demand. If builders and tradespeople are in short supply, clients face longer build times, pricing inflation persists, and skills gaps widen further.
Industry needs joined up action better training pathways
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Rohit Parmar-Mistry
Founder at Pattrn Data
If tradespeople are leaving, it is less about ‘sunny Spain’ and more about a UK industry that makes skilled work feel like a gamble. When demand lurches, payment terms stretch, and procurement rewards the cheapest bid, good people either retrain, go self-employed abroad, or just stop taking on risk.

Before we blame tax, ask: are we offering a predictable pipeline of work, fair rates, and a system that pays on time? Many firms are seeing longer lead times and higher quotes because the best people can pick their jobs. CITB has been warning about a widening construction skills gap and an ageing workforce, and ONS vacancy data shows the labour market is still tight even as conditions shift. That is not solved by a headline.

The fix is boring but real: invest in apprenticeships, cut churn in public and housebuilding pipelines, and make compliance and payment rules enforceable. If we do not make trades a stable, respected career, the ‘exodus’ story becomes a self-fulfilling shortage.