RICS highlights construction industry concerns

RICS has warned that an increase in building work in the UK has exacerbated a staff skills shortage and decimated the available supply of materials. The institute surveyed the construction industry, finding that three quarters of respondents bemoaned a lack of bricklayers, while 71% agreed that rising demand since the last quarter posed a problem – up from 59% who agreed with the same sentiment in RICS’ second quarter survey. A net balance of 58% of respondents claimed finance was limiting their construction capabilities, with a similar proportion stating that planning laws were inhibiting them. The survey also found that 46% more surveyors reported a rise in activity, the eighth consecutive quarterly rise in workloads. Jobs secured in the private commercial sector reached a net high, while private house building grew in all parts of Britain. Additionally, Begbies Traynor found 12% less construction and property businesses in “critical” financial distress in the third quarter than in the second.