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Tag: imports

Cracks are already appearing in the Government strategy on the building materials trade gap

Cracks are already appearing in the Government strategy on the building materials trade gap

The construction industry imports about 10% of its output value in building materials and seems to have done all my adult life at least. Admittedly the figures are a bit ropey, but the pattern looks pretty clear from the top graph. This is important, because the Government’s rather suspect industrial strategy (pdf) for construction has as one of its big targets a 50% cut in the building materials trade gap by 2025. Looking at the current data I reckon that means,…

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The revolution will not be strategised

The revolution will not be strategised

Last week two reports came out with similar names but very different purposes. But they deserve comment and consideration together. On the Monday Global Construction Perspectives and Oxford Economics launched its report Global Construction 2025, a global forecast for the construction industry to 2025. The following day the Government unveiled the Construction 2025: industrial strategy for construction – government and industry in partnership. Most of the similarities and differences will be pretty obvious on reading, so let’s take them as…

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How UK construction consultants are selling themselves abroad

How UK construction consultants are selling themselves abroad

It has become noticeable of late that construction consultants seem significantly more optimistic than their fellows in UK contracting firms. Consultants may be a wee bit uneasy, but contractors it must be said seem to be wading in a slough of despond. The topic of restructuring (for which we read cutting jobs) is back on the agenda. I’ve suggested as one possible explanation for this disparity in happiness that consultants might be winning more work abroad and so partially relieving the pain of…

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Imports figures support official stats showing a strong bounce back for construction in 2009

Imports figures support official stats showing a strong bounce back for construction in 2009

Here’s a couple of graphs that hopefully will bring a little Christmas cheer to the statisticians at ONS who have been putting together the much queried new construction output figures. They may also bring a little cheer too to the statistics team that puts together the building materials imports figures, which also come in for criticism from time to time. Constant criticism, sadly, is the lot of the statistician. (And in the spirit of credit where credit is due, I…

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