The UK Government needs to do "considerably more" to support both the construction and housebuilding industry, according to recruitment specialist One Way.

With the sector having technically slipped back into a recession for the first time since 2012, the organisation said a further loss of jobs would prove "critical" to the industry.

Paul Payne, Managing Director of One Way, said: "The news that the construction industry has slipped back into recession after four years isn't particularly optimistic and a loss of jobs on the scale that has been suggested would almost certainly be the first nail in the coffin for the sector. We simply can't afford to lose any more professionals from both construction and housebuilding and the government needs to do considerably more to support these industries before it's too late."

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The National Housing Federation recently warned that a slowdown in the housebuilding industry would lead to nearly 120,000 construction jobs lost over the next decade.

Mr Payne added as the industry witnessed the impact of jobs losses in the steel industry, the scale for construction would be "far greater".

"We need more professionals operating in the sector if we want it to recover, not less, and the potential impact of these cuts could be devastating if something isn't done soon," he said.

"We've been very vocal about how the government, employers and trade bodies need to do more to engage with youngsters and promote greater interest in construction, because at the current rate there will barely be an industry left in a few years' time. "

(LM/CD)