Today’s GDP figures, published by ONS, show that the UK economy grew by 0.3 per cent in the first quarter of 2013 compared to the previous quarter and was up 0.6 per cent compared to the same quarter a year ago. Construction fared much worse, declining by 2.5 per cent quarter-on- quarter and 5.9 per cent year-on-year.
The latest figures from ONS published today show that construction output fell sharply in January, with falls across almost every sector of the £100 billion industry. Overall, construction output in January was 6.3 per cent lower than in December and 7.9 per cent lower than it was one year ago.
The latest Construction Trade Survey, published today, shows that activity in the majority of the construction industry fell during the first quarter of 2013 with the impacts of falling demand exacerbated by the adverse impacts of poor weather. Looking forward, industry prospects remain downbeat with contractors, specialists and civil engineers all reporting declining orders for future work.