Will Davies of property maintenance firm aspect.co.uk has warned the government to take note of the increasing number of young skilled British workers from the construction industry moving to New Zealand in search for a new life and better working conditions.
This comes after reports from the New Zealand government that suggests there is an influx of Brits immigrating to the country, and the number of those working in the construction industry has doubled in the year to 30 June 2015.
Mr Davies said that political football is to blame for the current moves with false promises about the falling number of houses being built and the lack of decisive action to solve the skills shortage crisis.
Mass immigration has also been highlighted as one of the issues the government has failed to manage in regards to employment in the construction industry.
While openly opting to hire more qualified Eastern Europeans than low skilled Brits, Davies says there is no surprise why young British workers who are qualified in the construction industry obtain positions from the other side of the world.
“The job market in the UK is weak and many of these workers are struggling to get on the property ladder so why not travel,” said Mr Davies.
“UK nationals are struggling to get the jobs and compete with the skill levels of the foreigners coming to the UK market from Europe and elsewhere. They feel they can be more competitive in New Zealand in terms of their experience and skill level and won’t have to compete with such a large influx of Eastern Europeans in particular.”
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