Small Builders are Under Threat as Workloads Fall

FMB State of Trade Survey Shows Small Builders are Under Threat as Workloads Fall

ALMOST a third of Britain’s small building firms have shed staff since the turn of the year, as falling workloads and rising costs have forced many SME construction companies to scale back their operations, according to new research by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

The FMB’s latest State of Trade Survey (Download, PDF 258 KB) of member firms, many of which work in the domestic repair, maintenance and improvement market (RM&I), shows overall workloads falling at the fastest rate since the first three months of 2012. The net balance for residential workloads was -23%, compared to -15% in the final quarter of last year, giving particular cause for alarm as this type of work traditionally represents the lifeblood of the smaller builder.