Brickonomics

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• Construction continues to shed workers at an alarming pace

  A further 38,000 construction workers were made redundant in the three months to September according to the latest Government labour market figures . This raises the total of employees shed over the previous 12 months to 177,000. Meanwhile the figures... Posted Nov 11 2009, 09:59 AM by Brickonomics Filed under: construction industry, unemployment, employment, redundancies, construction workforce, workforce jobs, vacancies

• Output figures show continued fall in cash flowing into construction

  At first sight the latest construction output figures provide some relief. The fall in output in the second quarter of the year estimated to be just 0.5% and there was a slight rise in the output of new work measured in constant prices. But then it is... Posted Sep 04 2009, 05:33 PM by Brickonomics Filed under: RICS, Construction Products Association, construction industry, construction output, public spending

• £9 billion owed in trade debt to UK's building specialists

  It's a risky time to be owed money. Contractors and clients in the property world are falling like flies. So it was quite disturbing to calculate that £9 billion is outstanding in trade debt to the UK's building specialist contractors. And that... Posted Aug 25 2009, 01:36 PM by Brickonomics Filed under: construction industry, construction firms, risk, payment, trade credit, specialist contractors

• RICS survey finds some breathing space before the real storm hits

  The surveyors' body RICS found that public sector funding was providing some much needed relief for the construction sector. The shift in the numbers in its construction market survey was quite marked. The balance of firms seeing a decline in workload... Posted Aug 14 2009, 11:16 AM by Brickonomics Filed under: RICS, construction industry, construction output, recession, public spending

• Redundancies in construction jump to 170,000 over 12 months

  The latest employment figures show a continued shocking rate of redundacies in construction with another 42,000 jobs shed from the industry in the second quarter of this year. That makes a total of 170,000 recorded job losses over the past 12 months.... Posted Aug 12 2009, 11:05 AM by Brickonomics Filed under: construction industry, construction output, redundancies, construction workforce, workforce jobs, Labour Force Survey, vacancies, claimant count

• How to stop suicidal bidding: punish the abusers

  Let's start with an assertion: Suicidal bidding in construction is not consistent with fair trade and is not in the best interests of the consumer, the client, the industry or the long-term prosperity of the nation. It's a view. It has merit,... Posted Aug 11 2009, 11:08 AM by Brickonomics Filed under: OFT, construction industry, construction firms, contractual abuse, suicidal bidding, cover pricing, dumping

• Why contractors can't help suicidal bidding when the workload turns down

  The most concerning issue now facing construction as it dives deeper into recession is that of firms taking on work at less than cost. This is not sustainable business behaviour. More than falling workloads, falling prices defined the chaos that ravaged... Posted Aug 02 2009, 02:38 PM by Brickonomics Filed under: construction industry, construction output, main contractors, suicidal bidding, prisoner's dilemma, marginal pricing, supply chain, moral hazard, subbie bashing, suppliers, subcontractors

• Contractors face a £24 billion drop in new work

  UK contractors should prepare themselves for a £24 billion drop in the annual cash value of new work coming through as the recession reaches its expected bottom in 2011. Shrinking volumes and plunging prices threaten to drag the cash spent on buying new... Posted Jul 30 2009, 11:33 PM by Brickonomics Filed under: Construction Products Association, construction industry, construction output, recession, Dutch auctions, BCIS, suicidal bidding

• Seven years of construction growth wiped out say GDP figures

  The latest GDP figures showed a marked slowdown in the rate of collapse of the economy. But the drop of 0.8% was significantly more than economists were expecting, if the mood judged by Reuters gives a fair assessment. The median of its poll of economist... Posted Jul 24 2009, 11:22 AM by Brickonomics Filed under: construction industry, construction output, economy, GDP, construction

• Average weekly earnings go up in construction

  I took a quick glimpse at the Average Weekly Earnings figures out today to see if there was an obvious sign of downward pressure on those employed in construction. Well comparing the average weekly earnings over the three months to this April with the... Posted Jun 24 2009, 11:43 AM by Brickonomics Filed under: construction industry, recession, redundancies, construction workforce, job vacancies, earnings

• Duff jobs figures pose a threat to construction industry

  The official employment figures released today show that the construction industry has lost just 40,000 jobs. That clearly is rubbish. Were the figures accurate and were the construction output figures accurate it would suggest that as the industry has... Posted Jun 17 2009, 11:18 AM by Brickonomics Filed under: construction industry, construction output, employment, redundancies, construction workforce, workforce jobs, vacancies, dunemployment

• Five reasons why we might be facing the mother of all construction recessions

  It's coming around to the construction forecasting season again and the industry prognosticators will be gathering to discuss the ups and downs of the industry. If I were you, I'd be bracing myself for some pretty savage revisions to what already... Posted Jun 16 2009, 03:50 PM by Brickonomics Filed under: construction industry, construction output, commercial sector, house building, recession, infrastructure, forecasts, pessimism, public spending, 1990s, civils

• The orders figures and public spending fears point to industry chaos ahead - need it be so?

  The good news is that after the monstrous distraction over the past month cause by raking over expense claims made by MPs we are getting back to debate about things that really will shape our lives - notably how much dosh there is (or rather isn't... Posted Jun 11 2009, 02:20 PM by Brickonomics Filed under: RICS, construction industry, construction firms, construction output, construction orders, redundancies, ONS, public spending

• Construction shrinks at the fast rate ever recorded

  It was with genuine shock that I looked at the latest output figures . I was busy finishing something off when Nobel Francis of the Construction Products Association called to ask if I'd seen the figures. I thought he was pulling my chain when he... Posted Jun 05 2009, 11:53 AM by Brickonomics Filed under: construction industry, construction output, recession, GDP, construction, forecast, destocking, record books

• CIPS construction index bounces back, but what does that mean?

  The latest survey by the buyers' body CIPS shows a remarkable bounce back in the broad construction index towards the magic 50 no-change mark. The index has risen from 30.9 in April to 38.1 in May and up to 45.9 in June. This will no doubt be taken... Posted Jun 02 2009, 01:16 PM by Brickonomics Filed under: construction industry, construction output, house building, CIPS, Home Builders Federation, John Stewart