Wales’ construction and retrofit sectors are facing a critical turning point which is threatening our ability to deliver the affordable homes Wales needs.
At the same time, Wales is experiencing a sharp rise in youth disengagement. The proportion of young people aged 16 to 24 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) increased to 17% in the year ending December 2025, while the estimated number of young people who were NEET increased to 56,800 in 2025 from 38,300 in 2024 – a staggering 48.3% increase.
With more skilled tradespeople leaving the industry than joining, this risks compounding the housing emergency - exacerbating the impact the shortage of social homes has on health, wealth, and life opportunities across our nation.
But this is also an opportunity. By aligning our housing goals with a bold skills strategy, we can turn a national emergency into a wave of opportunity for the tens of thousands of NEET young people in Wales.
A National Construction Skills strategy can align housing associations’ economic contribution and training provision with the capacity of the Further Education sector and private supply chain, providing long term certainty and a clear roadmap to move out of the housing emergency into a period of housing recovery.