The National Access & Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) has warned that the sector faces a shortage of workers that could affect the delivery of major projects.
In a new report, the trade body said that 56 per cent of its members currently have at least one vacancy, with an average of 4.4 open roles per organisation.
It estimates that extrapolated across the wider industry, this will soon equate to 40,000 vacancies.
NASC and Construction Industry Scaffolders Record Scheme (CISRS) chief executive Clive Dickin said: “Our members are already feeling the pressure. They expect almost 6,000 vacancies this year alone and when you factor in retirements and normal staff turnover across the wider sector, that quickly rises to around 40,000 roles that will need to be filled.
“Training and education must remain the long-term solution. The industry is investing heavily in CISRS training, apprenticeships and professional development to ensure we maintain the highest standards of competence and safety.
“But training takes time. If the UK wants to deliver major infrastructure and construction projects, we also need short-term flexibility in migration policy so that experienced scaffolders from overseas can help bridge the gap while the domestic pipeline grows.”
The report also warns that 7 per cent of the access and scaffolding workforce is expected to retire in the next four years, adding to the pressure on the sector.
The NASC said the findings underline the need for coordinated action across industry, training providers and government to ensure the scaffolding workforce is in place to support the UK’s construction ambitions.
In December, MPs on the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee called for the government to encourage foreign retrofit and construction workers to come to the UK as part of a “significant new intervention” to plug skill gaps.
Last month, Construction News revealed that just 38 people had been granted the right to work in the UK since April 2024 when the profession ‘roofers, roof tilers and slaters’ was added to the skilled worker visa immigration salary list.
In an annual report on its response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry phase two report, the UK Government had highlighted the measure as a means of boosting the numbers of people able to remediate buildings with dangerous cladding.
However, commentators said the low number of visas granted raised questions about the policy.
In total there were 2,186 skilled construction worker visas granted in 2025, with the number dropping from 3,571 visas in 2024.