With a depleting workforce and a mental health crisis, the government can no longer afford to ignore the construction industry, writes Fix Radio CEO Louis Timpany in today’s Notebook

The government must deliver radical change for construction

As Parliament returns from summer recess, ministers must put construction at the top of their agenda. The scale of the crisis is not just economic – it’s human. At Fix Radio’s first music festival, Fix Fest, we launched The Wellness Hub to confront the rise of suicide in the trades. The Lighthouse Club charity estimates two tradespeople take their lives every working day. That shocking reality should be a wake-up call for Westminster: the people who build our homes and keep our country running are being pushed to breaking point.

And yet, despite this, construction remains overlooked. By 2027, Britain will need an extra 225,000 workers – around 45,000 every year – but apprenticeship completions have fallen from 12,420 in 2018 to just 7,700 in 2022. A third of the workforce is already over 50, while thousands leave the industry each year. The government’s pledge to train 60,000 new workers is welcome, but nowhere near enough.

The shortfall is........

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