Brickonomics

Building Britain's Future promises 45,000 new jobs building homes - That can't be right

Has anyone else prodded the sums on the 45,000 new jobs promised in the Building Britain's Future document as a result of the £1.5 billion pledged to stimulate building of 20,000 social and 10,000 private homes? I would have had...

Posted by Brian on July 6, 2009 5:51 PM

Why you might want to raise a glass to building homes?

As we rage about the cost to the taxpayer of 80p bath plugs and the construction of elaborate duck houses, here's a figure to contemplate. For every new home built in recessionary times, each taxpayer is about 10p to 15p...

Posted by Brian on June 5, 2009 9:45 AM

Are construction's vital job statistics wrong?

Following the release of numbers suggesting construction jobs increased by 47,000 over 2008 I asked for clarification from the statisticians. To my mind and in the view of anyone in the industry I have spoken to these figures were wildly...

Posted by Brian on March 20, 2009 10:06 AM

I don't believe the construction jobs figures...do you?

Many thanks to Jonathan for commenting below on my thoughts on the jobs figures released this morning. He comes from a recruitment background, so sees the situation first hand, and he seems as puzzled as I do over the official...

Posted by Brian on March 18, 2009 9:05 PM

Construction gains 47,000 jobs in 2008 - it may be official but I don't believe it

Apparently there were 2,285,000 or so jobs in construction in the final quarter of last year up 47,000 on a year earlier and just 1,000 down on the quarter before, which appears to be the peak in this economic cycle....

Posted by Brian on March 18, 2009 10:01 AM

British Workers for British Jobs - be careful what you wish for

The news that Britain is looking to curb the flow of non-EU surveyors and construction managers entering these shores will no doubt be welcomed unreservedly by many. Not me. I read that piece of news with some deep regrets. Why?...

Posted by Brian on March 17, 2009 2:59 PM

More than 100,000 construction workers made redundant last year

The latest employment figures provide yet more grim reading for those in construction with the numbers made redundant in the final quarter of last year rocketing to 48,000. The official figures out today show that 109,000 construction employees were made...

Posted by Brian on February 11, 2009 9:49 AM

Most local builders are now shedding jobs as workload collapses

The latest survey of local builders by their trade body FMB paints a grim picture with workload, inquiries and employment plunging. This throws into question how focused the Government is on saving jobs in the construction industry. If saving jobs...

Posted by Brian on January 16, 2009 12:01 PM

Construction industry ends 2008 on a record low

Happy New Year, or is it? The first piece of hard data on performance of the construction industry we get and it is a "new" record low for the Purchasing Managers' Index compiled for the buyers' body CIPS. The overall...

Posted by Brian on January 5, 2009 10:48 AM

Construction workforce grows by 30,000 - it's official, but surely it's wrong

The official labour market figures suggest that the construction workforce is growing. Surely this can't be the case? When I eagerly opened the latest press release on Labour Market Statistics this morning, I was looking for some clues as to...

Posted by Brian on December 17, 2008 2:40 PM

How to save 150,000 construction jobs, earn the Treasury £16 billion and create 200,000 new homes

Imagine that Chancellor Alistair Darling had decided to boost public spending by investing £20 billion of taxpayers' money over the next two years in buying land and building homes earmarked for eventual open market sale. What would be the net...

Posted by Brian on November 25, 2008 3:50 PM

Construction redundancies hit 10-year high and job vacancies drop by a third

The rapidly worsening headline figures for UK jobs are worrying enough for us all. It is a sobering thought to contemplate the pain of 100,000 fewer in fulltime employment and a leap of 140,000 in the number of unemployed over...

Posted by Brian on November 13, 2008 4:03 PM

Job vacancies in construction drop to decade low

The latest jobless figures showing a leap of 81,000 people unemployed over the past quarter will come as little surprise to most people in the construction industry. They are seeing life getting tougher by the day, especially those with any...

Posted by Brian on September 17, 2008 11:16 AM

What we can learn from wrong numbers

Anecdotal evidence is useful, if a bit unreliable. But it can help to substantiate the numbers and provide a context. And sometimes it can lead you to ask questions. Here is an example. I recently moved and have a new...

Posted by Brian on September 16, 2008 11:33 AM