December Construction Update from the Department for Business & Trade

The Office for National Statistics published estimates of construction output for October 2023 this morning.

• Monthly Construction output saw a decrease of 0.3% in the three months to October 2023; this came solely from a decrease in new work (2.0% fall), as repair and maintenance increased by 2.2%.
• Monthly construction output is estimated to have decreased 0.5% in volume terms in October 2023; this follows an increase of 0.4% in September 2023, with the monthly value in level terms in October 2023 at £15,485 million.
• The decrease in monthly output came solely from a decrease in new work (1.7% fall), partially offset by an increase in repair and maintenance (1.3%) on the month.
• At the sector level, three out of the nine sectors saw a fall in October 2023, with the main contributors to the monthly decrease seen in private new housing and private commercial new work, which decreased 5.2% and 1.2%, respectively.
• Anecdotal evidence suggested that heavy rainfall and strong winds led to delays in planned work in October 2023; a high number of comments from businesses noted the negative effect of storms
specifically.

Download the latest Monthly Construction update for the Department for Business & Trade here.