One in four builders reveal rise in workloads

One in four builders (42%) have reported a rise in workloads and only 13% have seen a decline, according to a new survey by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

The positive picture of the industry is contained in its latest State of Trade survey, which has produced the strongest results for three years.

The upbeat mood is prevalent across the country, with the strongest results in the North West, where 77% reported higher workloads, and London, which posted the greatest improvement on second quarter results. 

Only Wales and the West Midlands failed to report overall growth.

In the repair, maintenance, and improvement (RMI) sector only 7% of builders reported a fall, with 27% seeing an increase.

Figures for private new build are down slightly on the previous quarter, but the most significant change is in the public non-residential sector where both new build and RMI work recorded the strongest results since the start of 1999.

FMB director general Ian Davis, said: “The strength of the latest results show that rumblings of a possible crash in house prices have had little effect on home owner confidence to date.
House developers are showing more caution than earlier in the year and the result this quarter, though still positive, is lower than predicted in our last survey."

Over 80% of builders expect levels of work to increase or remain the same in the fourth quarter, with a similar figure (77%) reporting the number of enquiries for work beyond this period remaining steady or increasing. 

In line with the strong workload results, employment trends in the third quarter were also up, with 28% reporting an increase over the second quarter, and a further increase expected in the final three months of the year. 

This points to continuing shortages of skilled labour and 66% of respondents experienced recruitment problems, with carpenters, bricklayers and plumbers being the most difficult to find.