Labour's ambition to build 1.5 million homes in England faces a severe workforce crisis: the government needs to attract 300 new construction workers every day to meet its target, but current figures show the industry is losing 200 workers daily, according to new research from Land Value Calculator (LVC).
Housing delivery falls short
The 2024 manifesto pledged to build 1.5 million homes over the next parliament. However, only 143,110 houses were completed last year – nearly 10,000 fewer than the previous year and the lowest annual total since 2015/16. To achieve the target by July 2029, when the current parliament is expected to end, 1,008 new homes must be delivered every day. The current rate stands at 547 a day, requiring an 84% increase in delivery.
Using Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, LVC calculated that reaching the target would demand around 345,000 additional workers by July 2029 – equivalent to roughly 300 new recruits each day. However, the construction workforce shrank by 78,878 over the past year, meaning 200 workers were lost daily, according to ONS figures.
Industry warnings and government response
An LVC spokesperson said: "That is not a housing programme, it is a staffing shortage with a housing target attached." The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) predicts that England's construction workforce will decline by 0.9% this year, with only modest growth expected until the end of the decade. Even by 2030, employment levels are projected to remain below the pre-pandemic and pre-Brexit figures of 2019.
A Ministry of Housing, Community and Local Government spokesperson defended the government's approach: "We're backing the construction sector with £625 million to bring in up to 60,000 construction workers, and providing an additional £1.2 billion for skills so we can train even more builders by 2029. Alongside our planning reforms and the £16 billion National Housing Bank this will ensure we build the homes this country needs."
Rayner defends 'stretch target'
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner, who first introduced the 1.5 million-home target after the 2024 general election and resigned in September 2025 before returning under Prime Minister Andy Burnham, has reaffirmed her commitment. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme last month, she acknowledged the difficulties: "That commitment was very challenging before when I came into government. It's certainly got more challenging, and we've seen things like construction costs go up, which has had a real negative impact on that. But I'm not dropping it. I'm just saying that it is a really difficult stretch target."
Rayner likened the challenge to running the London Marathon in under five hours, adding: "That would be a real challenge for me, but I'd do it."
Council housing ambitions and economic pressures
Prime Minister Burnham has also pledged the largest council housebuilding programme since the post-war era. In the 35 years after World War II, over 4.4 million council houses were built, including 200,000 in 1954 alone, according to the University of the Built Environment. While major planning reforms have now become law, the government faces mounting pressure from rising construction costs and global economic challenges, including those stemming from the Iran war.
