Small builders less busy - FMB
26th January 2016

Workloads for small builders across the country took a downward turn towards the end of last year, the Federation of Master Builders' (FMB) latest State of Trade Survey has revealed, partly due to bad weather but also through worries over wider economic uncertainty. 

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “Undoubtedly, the adverse weather experienced in large parts of the country has played its part, by causing projects to overrun and costs to spiral. However, the fact that both current and expected construction workloads are down in every region is worrying given some of the gloomy predictions being made about the wider economy.

He also highlighted the issue of skills shortages with the survey’s findings showing 52% of FMB members reporting difficulty in finding carpenters and joiners, and 50% continue to have trouble hiring quality bricklayers.

Berry concluded: “We still expect to see growth in our sector continue throughout 2016 and we are optimistic that businesses can bounce back from what appears to have been a disappointing end to the year. However, the coming 12 months still hold in store considerable headwinds, not least the fears over the wider economy slowing down. If 2016 starts in anything less than a positive fashion, we could see growing fears that the hard-earned gains made by the construction industry over the past two or three years are indeed under threat.”

The full survey can be downloaded at: http://resources.fmb.org.uk/docs/FMBSoTQ4_2015.pdf