Report Confirms Housebuilding Contribution to UK Employment

A report released recently by the Home Builders Federation (HBF) has revealed the contribution that the housebuilding industry makes to the UK economy, local communities and employment.

It is estimated that the industry has an economic footprint worth over £19 billion per year and is responsible for the employment of more than 600,000 workers, generating £1.4 billion in tax revenues.

However the industry is still only delivering around half the estimated 240,000 homes a year the country needs to build. The HBF report claims that if another 100,000 homes could be built each year it would generate 430,000 extra jobs!

The report also identifies that the housebuilding industry:

• Spends £5.5 billion with suppliers, 90 percent of which stays in the UK
• Provides 32,000 affordable homes – worth £2.3 billion – built or financed by private house building with a further £1 billion
• paid to local authorities as a contribution to more affordable housing
• Pays £576 million towards community facilities including:
• £225 million towards education facilities alone – enough to fund 52,000 classroom places;
• £131 million in open spaces and community and sports facilities
• Generates a £3.8 billion spend in local shops and services

Other benefits also include:

• Planting an estimated 6.5 million trees and shrubs
• Recycling of around 80 per cent of its waste.

Kalcrest supplies workers to construction sites around the UK on a daily basis, 42% of which are for social housing or new build contracts; although this figure should rise as housebuilding output continues to increase.