Monday 3rd October 2011 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Small building companies in Scotland suffered their 14th consecutive decline in conditions during the third Quarter of 2011 according to the latest State of Trade Survey from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), the largest trade association in the UK construction industry.
The Quarter three 2011 results for the FMB’s State of Trade Survey, the only survey of small and medium sized building companies, show that conditions in the Scottish SME construction sector have declined at a faster rate than in the previous quarter.
Grahame Barn, Director of FMB Scotland, said:
“We have now seen conditions deteriorate every quarter for three and a half years and if anything they are getting worse. Although the number of neutral responses increased from 27% to 41%, the positive responses fell from 23% to just 13% and 46% of responses were negative.”
Barn continued:
“Construction SMEs can help rebuild Scotland by creating more jobs, supporting economic growth and creating a greener more sustainable economy but only if they have favourable conditions to trade in.
Barn concluded:
“Measures to help support construction must be at the forefront of the Scottish Government’s agenda. Building a greener Scotland, protecting skills and training and creating a new business environment to allow small and medium sized firms to prosper are essential to get Scotland building again”.
