The UK economy appears to be on a slow upward trajectory in 2024 after a rocky start and on the back of a tough business landscape in 2023. We hope this trend continues and improves as UK business owners desperately need some stability and growth. Delving deeper into April’s stats, there was mixed news with a pleasant surprise in the
The construction industry had a total labour force of 2.15m in Q2 2023, equivalent to some 7% of the total UK labour force. This compares with the pre-pandemic level of 2.3m in Q1 2020 and the peak over the past twenty-five years of 2.6m in Q3 2008 just as the global financial crisis was starting. The employment trend can be
Just as you can’t judge a book by its cover or guess a packaged gift from its shape, assessing the commercial risk of trading with a construction company by the figures in its balance sheet will not reveal the whole story. You also need to understand the company’s business model and the degree of ‘subjective’ valuation it creates. Here, we
The housing market is a key part of the UK national psyche. The inexorable rise in house prices has enriched baby boomers, but now unaffordable prices exacerbated by sharply higher mortgage interest rates are destroying the life prospects and restricting the lifestyles of younger generations. The government talks of supply and demand, sets unrealistic housebuilding targets and tinkers with planning
The UK construction sector has been a remarkable story of adaptation during the pandemic. An initial plunge of 40.7% in its GDP in April 2020 as almost the whole sector was forced to shut down, has been followed by a steady climb back up out of that financial hole marred only by a dip of 2.9% in December 2020 and
