Data

This story was written with AI assistance from Harmsworth Who is Harmsworth? London has topped a global ranking for high-specification office fit-out costs, driven by rising material prices, specialist skill shortages and growing demand for premium workspaces. According to Turner & Townsend’s Global Office Fit-Out Guide 2025, average costs in…

Construction sector output decreased for the fourth consecutive month amid “heightened business uncertainty” in April, according to newly released data. The latest S&P Global UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) data, released on Wednesday (7 May), showed an activity index of 46.6. This was up slightly from the March figure…

Substantial growth in the infrastructure sector is expected over the next 12 months, according to new research. In its latest UK Construction Monitor, released this morning, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) described infrastructure as “the standout performer” that will “drive the bulk of the overall growth in activity”…

UK construction growth could be delayed because of the fallout from US tariff hikes, an industry body has warned. The Construction Products Association (CPA) said big private sector projects could stutter while investors wait to gauge the outcome and impact of global import duty hikes. In its 2025 Spring Forecast,…

This story was written with AI assistance from Harmsworth Who is Harmsworth? Vacancies in the construction sector have risen despite a fall across the wider UK economy, according to the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data. Job openings in construction rose to 39,000 in the three months to March…

Construction output grew by 0.4 per cent in February, reversing a downward trend over the previous two months, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This followed a downwardly revised decrease of 0.3 per cent in January and a 0.2 per cent drop in December, with poor weather being…

Brick deliveries rose by almost a quarter in February compared with the same month last year, new official data shows. The latest monthly Building Materials and Components report from the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), published yesterday (9 April), showed brick deliveries increased by 22.6 per cent on a…

Technology is changing. And so is Construction News. Our editorial team has been using artificial intelligence (AI) behind the scenes for some time now to summarise long reports and data as part of our research process, as well as produce some illustrations. But we have not used it to produce…

Construction costs are predicted to rise by 17 per cent over the next five years, according to a new forecast from the Building Cost Information Service (BCIS). Its latest data also found that tender prices could increase by 15 per cent over the same period and new work output will…

Project starts have fallen by around a third in value over the past three months, driven by a decline in major projects and weak business confidence, according to the latest data.  The value of schemes starting in the three months to the end of February fell by 32 per cent…