Builders Merchants Journal – BMJ Publishing to Builders Merchants and the UK merchanting industry for more than 95 years
UK Construction work in March 2021 was 5.8% ahead of February, particularly in terms of new work and repair & maintenance, according to the latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics.
Construction output in March 1 was £14,251m – the highest since September 2019 (14,381m). March 2021 also beat February 2020, the last pre-pandemic month, by 2.4%, with RMI work
March’s output was also 2.4% above the February 2020 pre-pandemic level; repair & maintenance work was 7.7% above this level while new work was 0.5% below.
As well as significant increases in ew works, there was a resumption of delayed projects and a general increase in demand and confidence across the industry. Quarterly construction output grew by 2.6% in Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2021 compared with Quarter 4 (Oct to Dec) 2020; this was driven by growth in both new work (2.8%) and repair and maintenance (2.2%).
New orders increased by 12.2% in Q1 2021 compared with Q4 2020 but were 13.3% lower than Q1 2020.
