The strong growth of the construction industry in Essex has been hampered by the shortage of one particular skill. 
The number of active building projects rose by 64 per cent in the county during 2014, however, the shortage of bricklayers reached an all-time high. 
Alan Muse, director of the built environment for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, said the growth rate was encouraging, but could have been better still if it had not been held back by skills shortages. 
He said: “Labour shortages have become increasingly onerous in every area of the sector since the industry began to recover in mid-2013, with bricklayers and quantity surveyors in particularly short supply.” 
Responding to the shortage of bricklayers, the Federation of Master Builders called for more trade apprenticeships. 
Brian Berry, chief executive of the organisation, said: “This research is a timely reminder the Government must put the right framework in place to encourage construction employers to train more apprentices. 
“If the shortage of bricklayers continues to increase at the same rate, it could undermine the surge in private house building. 
“The construction and house building industries are emerging from the deepest and longest recession we have ever faced, but increasing workloads mean little if we don’t have enough people to carry out these new projects. 
“Government must therefore make sure employers have every reason to increase the number of apprenticeship places they are offering or the construction industry, and the wider economy along with it, will begin to flounder.”