Building and construction delays

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Last Post by Mars 4 years ago

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Mars

(@editor)

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Joined: 5 years ago

Posts: 3578

Topic starter 27/10/2021 11:44 am

I received this data from the Federation of Master Builders today and it's crazy to see the construction delays – no doubt, we'll see similar delays on renewable installations:

89% of local builders have reported having to delay jobs due to a lack of materials or skilled tradespeople, according to the latest State of Trade Survey from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

Adding to the pressure facing the industry, 97% of builders have reported skyrocketing material prices and expect this to continue into the last quarter of 2021, with 78% passing this increased cost on to the consumer.

Builders have been forced to hit pause on some jobs, in the face of increasing difficulty to hire tradespeople, such as general labourers and plasterers, with 42% and 37% respectively of builders struggling to get them to a job. Despite a slight easing, near half of FMB members are also facing pressure to find carpenters/joiners and bricklayers.

The FMB State of Trade Survey, which is released quarterly, is the only survey of its kind to track the experience of small to medium-sized (SME) construction firms in the UK. It found:

Delays and cancellations

82% of builders have delayed jobs due to a lack of materials
60% have been pressed pause due to a lack of skilled tradespeople
Combined, 89% of builders have faced delays due to either materials or skills shortages
8% of builders have been forced to cancel jobs due to a lack of materials
12% have been cancelled due to a lack of skilled tradespeople

Skills shortages

42% can’t get hold of general labourers, up 6% on last quarter
37% can’t hire plasterers, a rise of 6% on last quarter
47% of builders are struggling to hire carpenters/joiners, down 6% on last quarter
45% are struggling to hire bricklayers, a fall of 2% on last quarter

Price rises

97% of builders are facing material price rises, with 93% expecting this to continue into Q4
77% of respondents have been forced to raise their prices in the past quarter

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