IAN MCCONNELL
CONFIDENCE among Scottish construction companies has tumbled in the latest quarter, amid worries over future work prospects, a survey reveals.
The Scottish Building Federation’s latest construction monitor shows a decline in the confidence reading to -5 from +2, where it had been for three consecutive quarters.
The trade body said that construction employers were concerned that, as major projects such as the Queensferry Crossing and the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route drew to a close, the industry was “likely to suffer a major contraction due to an apparent shortage of other work to fill the gap”.
SBF president Stephen Kemp said the performances of other key sectors such as housing and private commercial construction “don’t look that strong”.
Separately, a survey published today by the Federation of Master Builders signals a sharp overall slowdown in growth of activity among small and medium-sized construction firms in Scotland in the second quarter.
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