BSRIA has applauded the announcement of the government commission into a major review of the construction labour market in its latest bid to reform the sector and enable it to help power economic growth and solve the current housing crisis.

Housing minister Brandon Lewis and construction and skills minister Nick Boles are understood to have signed off on the Construction Labour Model review, which will include a full public consultation and be carried out by former Arcadis consultant Mark Farmer.

The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) will oversee Mr Farmer’s work on the review. It is set to be the most ‘high-profile’ piece of work taken on by the CLC since the decision last summer to scrap the role of chief construction adviser and restructure the body into a 12-person board.

The report will look at both the traditional barriers to upskilling the industry, and the impact of new technology and reforms to the way the sector works. Recommendations will be made to the industry, government and potentially third parties such as institutions and financers.

Secondly, the review will ask the question: “How do we change the way that we build so we can come up with a less labour-reliant method of construction?” This is not just about off-site construction, but about innovations such as on-site robotics, which can potentially replace labour-intensive activities and make the industry more attractive.

Julia Evans, chief executive of BSRIA said: “We are very much supportive of this commission and consultation and, on behalf of the industry and our members, would very much like to be involved every step of the way. This commission hasn’t come a day too late, especially considering the current housing shortage or ‘crisis’ as the government has put it. Economic growth – for both the UK and the industry – is paramount.”

More details about the review can be found here.