July Construction Update from BEIS

The latest Monthly Construction Update from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), which uses the Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) as one its sources, is now available.

This month’s construction update confirms construction output fell by 0.8% in May 2021 compared to the previous month, because of declines in both new work, which fell by 0.4% and repair and maintenance, which fell by 1.5% as confidence fell.

The level of construction output in May 2021 remains 0.3% above the February 2020 pre-pandemic level despite the monthly fall. Repair and maintenance continues to be particularly strong; while new work was 3.5% below the February 2020 level, repair and maintenance work remained 7.5% above the February 2020 level.

The IHS Markit CIPS construction purchasing managers index for June indicated a sharp rise in new orders. However, suppliers delivery times were the longest since the survey began 24 years ago and severe shortages resulted in record purchasing prices in June.

The latest BMBI report confirms the construction industry saw a buoyant April, with sales in all categories except Kitchens & Bathrooms exceeding April 2019. As well as the BMBI figures, the update includes construction output figures from The Office of National Statistics, as well as an assessment of the impact of Covid-19 and their ‘Business insights and impact on the UK economy‘ publication, which is based on responses from the voluntary fortnightly business survey (BICS), and construction sector forecasts by Experian and by the Construction Products Association.

The June update also includes statistics on the furlough scheme from HMRC, as well as highlights from the latest Monthly Statistics of Building Materials and Components report.

To download the latest BEIS Monthly Construction Update click here