Construction production fell for the fourth consecutive month in July, as material shortages hampered work. Workloads fell 1.6 percent in July compared to June, and were 1.8 percent below pre-pandemic levels in February of last year. Private housing construction saw the biggest drop, with production falling by 7 percent. There was also a decline in public construction and private commercial production. Supply chain issues have been blamed for affecting production. Baird’s chief financial officer, Fraser Jones, said the problems had been building for months. “As an industry, we have been warning that the main threat to the recovery will be supply chain issues and price hikes since the beginning of the year,” he said. Jones added that the volatility seemed to knock customer confidence. “Pervasive shortages and long delays are creating a creeping sense of uncertainty that is leading some developers to consider pausing their projects until things calm down,” said Gareth Belsham, director of Naismith Real Estate Consultants and Surveyors. [Purchasing Managers’ Index] The data showed that new orders are now coming in at the slowest rate since March.” Recent data from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy revealed that overall building materials costs rose more than 20 percent in the year to July 2021. Surveyors expect prices could rise by another 10 percent over the next year.Johns said contractors need to be “proactive” in managing material issues and work closely with clients, consultants and suppliers to understand the implications of delays and price hikes.Two sectors bucked the trend in July, as construction work in Infrastructure and industrial production is up compared to June. Stacy Eden, co-head of real estate and construction at RSM Accountants and Consultants, said the increases reflect the government’s commitment to maintaining infrastructure spending, as well as switching to online shopping, which has led to increased demand for units. industrial.
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