High interest rates and low confidence put construction firms under pressure, Lords warns Property Construction firms have been hit by a barrage of reduced market confidence, high interest rates and rising national insurance costs, builders’ merchant Lords has warned, after it suffered its biggest-ever single-day stock fall. The London-based firm released a challenging market update on Thursday, which saw its shares plunge 20.61 per cent to an all-time low [...]
Construction sector cuts jobs again as house building slumps Industrials The construction industry shed jobs for the 18th consecutive month in June following “sharp declines” in house building and a slowdown in new home sales. The latest S&P Global Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) for the construction sector showed more cutbacks to employment with another period of “sustained job shedding”. Subcontractors were also hit by the [...]
Delay fuel duty hike or risk stalling major transport projects, Labour warned Transport & Infrastructure The government risks stalling key road and rail infrastructure projects unless it extends the freeze to fuel duty, a leading construction industry body has warned. The Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA), which represents more than 2,000 firms providing construction machinery and expertise, told Morning Wire “nothing will get built” if its members pull back from projects [...]
Construction firms slash jobs after biggest-ever cost inflation rise April 8, 2026 Construction businesses cut jobs at a faster pace in March while the month-to-month inflation rise was the largest on record in a survey that has existed for 29 years. S&P Global said the difference in a reading for cost inflation between February and March was the largest it had ever recorded since data collection began [...]
UK construction ‘exits tailspin’ but job losses persist as housebuilding slumps February 5, 2026 The UK’s struggling construction sector showed signs it was turning a corner at the beginning of the year even as job losses and shrinking order books persisted. The latest construction Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) from S&P Global – which serves as a headline index tracking industry activity – edged up to 46.4, up from 40.1 [...]
From Net Zero to Nuclear: the skills gap that could stall UK growth January 29, 2026 The UK has no shortage of ambition when it comes to infrastructure. From Net Zero commitments and energy security to rail modernisation, water resilience and nuclear new build, the pipeline of nationally significant projects is substantial. Yet beneath the headlines lies a constraint that threatens to undermine delivery across all of them: a critical shortage [...]