Concrete contractors hit by slump, job losses predicted

Concrete frame contractors are facing a grim new year with a further round of redundancies predicted as a slump in new work intensifies.

Workloads in contractors' core areas of residential and commercial development have been hit hard with job losses already affecting the sector.

Robin Holdsworth, secretary of trade body Construct, said: "Things are getting tight and jobs are coming to an end and staff are being laid off."

Holdsworth said member firms are trying to hang on to experienced staff despite the slump: "Firms are trying to keep people above labourer level. Where possible they are being retained so you don't have to go out and look for them all over again once things pick up.

"There has been a big downturn in spec work but other frames are still coming on stream and major projects like the Olympics are still providing work."

The pain among trade contractors is also being keenly felt in the demolition industry - traditionally the sector hit first when workloads go into decline.

One source said: "Things are bad now and look like getting a hell of a lot worse after Christmas.

"A lot of firms are having to cut drivers' hours because of the lack of work. Lorries are standing idle because there is no demolition waste to transport from sites.

"There are a lot of empty trucks and skips out there, which means more redundancies across the board are inevitable."