PLANNING & DESIGN
Immigration policy has added further pressure. The National Association of Home Builders( NAHB) reports immigrants make up 34 % of the US construction workforce.
This figure exceeds 60 % in drywall, roofing and plastering. A joint survey by the Associated General Contractors of America( AGC) and the National Center for Construction Education and Research found 28 % of firms had faced workforce disruption linked to immigration enforcement in the past six months.
The picture is similarly stark in the UK. CITB’ s Construction Workforce Outlook 2026-2030 estimates the sector needs an average of 41,200 additional workers every year to keep pace with demand. This is the equivalent of more than 206,000 in total by the end of the decade.
The industry currently recruits around 200,000 people a year but loses roughly 210,000 over the same period, largely to retirement, leaving the workforce on a shrinking trajectory. Around 40 % of UK construction workers are already over 45, and carpenters, bricklayers, electricians, scaffolders and roofers are consistently named the hardest roles to fill. CITB has committed £ 267m( US $ 362) to training and apprenticeships, though the effects of that spending will take years to reach site level.
Joe Saad, Regional Vice President of Foundation Building Materials( FBM) Pacific South Region, sees the impact play out on live projects.“ Labour shortages continue to be one of the biggest challenges affecting construction timelines across the US right now,” he says.“ Even when materials are available
“ Even when materials are available and projects are funded, finding enough skilled tradespeople to keep work moving can be difficult”
Joe Saad Regional Vice President Foundation Building Materials
and projects are funded, finding enough skilled tradespeople to keep work moving can be difficult. As a result, we are seeing some projects take longer to complete, while contractors often need to adjust schedules and sequence work differently to accommodate workforce availability.“ In fast-growing markets especially, completion of skilled labour can create bottlenecks that impact everything from project planning through to final delivery. In some cases, contractors are having to stagger work, reallocate crews between projects or delay the start of certain activities until the right expertise becomes available. This creates additional complexity for teams and can make scheduling hard to predict.”
Scheduling and sequencing pressure Vicky Bartlett, Senior Director, Market Leadership for Construction, Property & Engineering at human resources consultancy and recruitment firm Randstad UK, sees the same dynamic constraining project teams in Britain.
88 October 2026