Almost 200,000 EU workers could be lost from the UK construction industry should Britain lose access to the single market, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

New figures from the organisation show 8% of the UK's industry workforce are EU nationals, making up around 176,500 jobs.

However, losing access to the EU Single Market would put these roles at risk as well as jeopardising the UK's forecasted £500 billion infrastructure pipeline.

With the UK already suffering from an industry skills crisis, and 30% of firms revealing that hiring non-UK workers is important for their business to succeed, RICS' Head of Policy Jeremy Blackburn said the research shows the UK is "dependent on thousands of EU workers".


"It is in all our interests that we make a success of Brexit, but a loss of access to the single market, has the potential to slowly bring the UK's £500 billion infrastructure pipeline to a standstill," he said.

"That means that unless access to the single market is secured or alternative plans are put in place, we won't be able to create the infrastructure needed to enable our cities to compete on a global stage."

Mr Blackburn added that to safeguard the future of the UK's construction and property sectors, construction professions such as quantity surveyors must feature on the 'UK Shortage Occupations List'.

"Ballet dancers won't improve our infrastructure or solve the housing crisis, yet their skills are currently viewed as essential, whereas construction professionals are not," he continued.

"Of course, we must also address the need to deliver a construction and property industry that is resilient to future change and can withstand the impact of any future political or economic shocks — key to that will be growing the domestic skills base."

(LM/MH)