Britain's Building Exodus: Skilled Tradespeople Vote with Their Feet Amid Tax and Cost Pressures
Just four months after being crowned Screwfix's Top Tradesperson of the Year, Martin Daly made a painful decision. The 30-year-old builder from Motherwell, celebrated for his work training apprentices, is shutting down his business and moving to Switzerland.
"It feels like a punishment for trying to do the right thing," says Daly, reflecting on the impact of Chancellor Rachel Reeves's Budget decision to raise employers' National Insurance. "In Britain, the more you try to grow and train people, the harder you get hit. Every time you make good money, it feels like someone takes it off you."
Daly is not alone. The UK construction industry is facing a silent crisis as experienced tradespeople and ambitious apprentices look overseas. The sector has shrunk to just over two million workers—its lowest level in a quarter-century—according to recent Office for National Statistics data. A 'perfect storm' of post-Brexit labour shortages, pandemic-induced cost inflation, and an ageing workforce is now being accelerated by domestic fiscal policy.
Charlie Mullins, founder of Pimlico Plumbers, made headlines with his move to Spain last year, citing looming tax rises. For smaller operators like Daly, the pressures are more immediate. "When the offer from Switzerland came, it crystallised everything," he admits. "There, you're not taxed to death. They want you to be part of society, to build and grow. Here, it feels like the door is being held open for me to leave."
The human cost is stark. Daly receives multiple daily pleas from apprentices he can no longer afford to train. "They say nobody else will take them on. If I could, I would, but I can't," he says, voice tinged with guilt. The National Federation of Builders warns that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which train an estimated 80% of construction apprentices, are being squeezed out. Historically building 40% of UK homes, SMEs now deliver just 9%.
Compounding the problem is a global race for talent. Countries like Australia offer targeted visa schemes and relocation grants, while falling real wages in the UK—average weekly earnings in construction dipped to £811 in November—make overseas offers increasingly attractive. "My last two qualified apprentices went to Australia," Daly notes. "I was annoyed, but I don't blame them."
The government's ambition to boost housebuilding appears at odds with this reality. The Construction Industry Training Board estimates an additional 61,000 workers are needed annually to meet housing targets by 2029. Rico Wojtulewicz of the National Federation of Builders states plainly: "All the taxation burdens are making it harder for companies to function. It's now very difficult for a young person to see a guaranteed career here."
As Daly packs his tools, he worries about the ripple effect: "A lot of lads rely on me for work. If you push me out, you're pushing out many more." His departure is a microcosm of a broader exodus that threatens to undermine the foundations of Britain's built environment.
Reader Reactions
Michael Thorne, 58, Retired Site Manager from Bristol: "This is a tragic but inevitable outcome. We've spent decades devaluing vocational skills while loading small businesses with red tape and tax. Daly is exactly the kind of motivated, training-focused tradesperson we should be championing. The system has failed him."
Sarah Chen, 32, Architectural Technologist from London: "The data is alarming but not surprising. My firm struggles to find reliable contractors. The brain drain is real, and it's making projects slower and more expensive. We need a coherent industrial strategy for construction, not just housing targets."
Dave "Kipper" Wilson, 49, Self-Employed Electrician from Grimsby: "[EMOTIONAL/ANGRY] Good on him! Why would anyone stay? The government treats us like a cash cow. They take, take, take and give nothing back—no proper investment, no respect. Reeves's NI hike was the final insult. They'd rather import cheap labour than support homegrown talent. The whole country's going down the tubes, and they're wondering why the skilled blokes are leaving. Let 'em try building their 300,000 houses a year with bankers and politicians holding the trowels!"
Eleanor Vance, 41, Housing Policy Analyst from Cambridge: "This exodus exposes a critical flaw in focusing solely on housing output numbers. The supply chain—the skilled human capital—is collapsing. Without urgent support for SMEs, which are the lifeblood of training, the ambitious targets are pure fantasy. Policy must address retention as urgently as recruitment."