The construction industry has now been growing for eight consecutive quarters, according to the latest Construction Trade Survey.
Contractors of all sizes and types, as well as product manufacturers, reported continued growth in output in the first quarter of 2015, and further expansion is anticipated throughout the year.
The Construction trade Survey aggregates data gathered by six major trade associations:
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National Federation of Builders (NFB)
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National Specialist Contractors Council (NSCC)
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Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA)
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UK Contractors Group (UKCG)
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Federation of Master Builders (FMB)
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Construction Products Association (CPA).
For large contractors, a positive net balance of 50% reported a rise in output compared to a year earlier, higher than the balance of 44% that reported a rise in output during the fourth quarter of 2014. For SMEs, a balance of 19% reported rising workloads in Q1, up from 17% in 2014 Q4, while a balance of 50% of heavy side product manufacturers and 29% of those on the light side reported an annual increase in sales in Q1.