The cuts will come into force by September, according to the latest survey of firms by trade group Build UK.

And many remain cautious about longer term prospects, with firms reporting possible further cuts reducing the workforce by as much as a fifth.

Across the industry, there is expected to be a  7.7% cut in directly employed workers by September.

The self-employed workforce will be harder hit with contractors seeking to reduce self-employed and agency workers by 42%.

So far main contractors Multiplex, Osborne, Sisk and Wates have started workforce redundancy consultations, with Careys, Keltbray and TClarke also looking to pare down staff numbers in the specialist sector.

House builder Berkeley is also looking to reduce staff by 10%.

Combining the June survey result for all types of businesses, there is forecast to be a reduction in the total construction workforce of 9.9% by September.