A Perfect Storm for Modern Slavery in UK Construction?

April 30, 2025 12:43 pm, Published by

The UK Government plans a ramp-up in construction. Is the sector positioned to address the risks of modern slavery or is it a perfect storm?

The construction sector has long been identified as a high-risk sector for modern slavery in the UK, by a number of bodies including:

  1. The Office of the Director of Labour Market Engagement
  2. The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority
  3. The Chartered Institute of Building
  4. The Churches, Councils and Local Authorities Investment Management Company

Globally, the construction sector is identified as accounting for an estimated c.16% of victims of forced labour on any one day in 2021.

Meanwhile, the UK Government has announced their plans for a ramp-up in construction activities over the coming years. In January 2025, the Guardian reported that Rachel Reeves ‘thinks big on planning and growth with housebuilding project’. which aims to improve access for building new homes around commuter train stations in England, contributing to the Government’s target of building 1.5m new homes over five years. And, it’s not just new homes that are planned. The Government is planning to address delays caused by legal challenges and make 150 decisions on infrastructure projects.

So where is the workforce to support these plans?

In 2024, the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) forecasted that roughly an extra quarter of a million (250,000) construction workers would be needed by 2028 to meet the anticipated demand. Whilst, in March 2025, it was reported that there is a ‘rising demand for construction workers’ in the UK.

Without a domestic workforce ready to meet the anticipated increase in requirements, companies may be more likely to rely on migrant workers to meet their needs. We know however, that forced labour prevalence of adult migrant workers is more than three times higher than that of adult non-migrant workers.

Recent data analysis by the Work Rights Centre notes that “the risk of migrant worker worker exploitation in construction” grows. The analysis focuses on the Skilled Worker visa route noting that an increasing proportion of Skilled Worker visas are being issued to workers in more technical and elementary-level roles, including tradesmen.

Raising awareness of exploitation in the Construction and Property Sector

After training over 1,200 people through our Stronger Together UK Construction and Property Workshops, we’ve seen first-hand how low awareness is around exploitation risks, prevention, warning signs, and response.

Our Collaborative Project, which assessed a number of Tier 1 construction and property suppliers and subcontractors on their effectiveness in tackling modern slavery, identified an over reliance on contractual clauses to manage labour exploitation risks and a lack of effective due diligence systems.

Image reads; Audit Summary. It is clear from the audit results that businesses at all levels of the supply chain cannot rely on assumptions or contract clauses and should be taking proactive measures to improve modern slavery due diligence, seek evidence that effective mitigation is implemented in the supply chain, and embed effective management systems and due diligence to ensure labour standards are consistently applied at all levels in the labour supply chain.

With a tight labour market, challenging economic circumstances and demanding customers, the forecast for a ‘perfect storm’ is becoming more probable than possible. The need for effective due diligence is clear to ensure that the workers building these new homes and infrastructure projects are recruited responsibly, and have fair work free from exploitation.

The Stronger Together UK Construction and Property Programme supports effective due diligence through the provision of open and bespoke workshops, and a range of specific, free-to-download resources. This includes a Good Practice Checklist, a toolkit and an award winning awareness video, Concrete.

Image shows a document with the words 'Good Practice Checklist'
Image is of a front cover showing people wearing construction safety clothing looking at a set of instructions

With recent updates to the Modern Slavery Act reporting requirements on businesses, and the momentum towards mandatory human rights due diligence, the case has never been higher for businesses to take action.

Get in touch with us today to see how we can support your business.

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