The house building industry created 106,000 new jobs throughout England last year, according to a report.
Research by the Home Builders Federation (HBF) found the sharp rise in development – 25% more homes were built in 2014-15 than 2013-14 – led to a corresponding jobs boost. More than 10,000 posts were created in London, 5,418 in Greater Manchester, and around 5,000 in both Essex and Oxfordshire.
The biggest proportional growth with employment numbers was in North Yorkshire which saw its workforce double. Overall, the industry now employs 667,000 people.
Stewart Baseley, Executive chairman of the HBF, said: ‘The house building industry has increased its output at the steepest rate for decades. Delivering the high quality homes we desperately need is also providing a huge boost to economies across the country.
‘The industry is recruiting and training tens of thousands of new people to ensure it can continue to deliver significant sustainable increases in supply and provide the high quality homes the country needs.’
Responding to the figures, Stephen Stone chief executive of Crest Nicholson, said: 'It’s a great time to work in this industry, especially given the Government’s recent commitment to build 400,000 new homes, and we continue to see very high demand across all of our developments.
'However, to support the growth of the sector, it’s vital that our industry as a whole works to address the skills shortage that seems set to challenge us all over the coming years.'
