Brian McQuade, Managing Director of Kier Construction’s Scotland & north-east England business, has welcomed news about the continuing growth in the construction sector announced in the latest ONS Output in the Construction Industry figures.
He said, “The construction sector has grown for three consecutive quarters and is looking increasingly optimistic. This performance is reflected in our own business where we are shaping up for sustainable growth this year. We have already secured significant new contracts across Scotland in recent months.”
Key points in the report include;
• The seasonally adjusted estimate of construction output in January 2014 has risen by 1.8% (£170 million) when compared with December 2013. There was a slight rise of 0.8% (£50 million) in new work and a larger increase of 3.5% (£120 million) in repair and maintenance.
• The longer term comparisons show an improved picture of construction output. All work in January 2014 has increased 5.4% (£490 million) when compared with January 2013. A similar story is apparent across the different types of work, where new work has increased by 5.9% (£330 million) and repair and maintenance by 4.5% (£160 million) over the same period.
• New orders for construction in Q4 2013 is estimated to be 1.5% higher than Q3 due to a 5.2% (£200 million) increase in orders for new housing. All other work fell 0.4% over the same period caused by a 22.2% (£590 million) decrease in orders for infrastructure.
