Despite a difficult time in recent years, the construction sector finally seems to be on the up and is in good health as 2014 gets underway.
The latest figures from the Markit/CIPS UK Construction Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) show a series of factors have combined to create a sense of optimism within the market.
December saw sharp rises in output, new orders and employment, with a hefty rise in residential activity one of the main contributors to this positive trend. Indeed, the residential market is said to be the strongest part of the building trade at the moment.
Some 57 per cent of companies in the industry are now anticipating an increase in output levels, significantly up on the 31 per cent which felt this way shortly before the start of 2013.
Tim Moore, senior economist at Markit and author of the Markit/CIPS Construction PMI, said it is clear that many construction companies are entering 2014 with a renewed sense of positivity and the "wind in their sails".
"Most encouragingly, the improving UK economic outlook is helping boost private sector spending patterns, meaning that the construction recovery has started to broaden out from housing demand and infrastructure projects to include strong growth in commercial building work," he stated.
December was also a good month for recruitment in the construction industry, with the survey showing there was a rise in the number of people taken on in building jobs. This was the seventh consecutive month of growth in this area.
What's more, this good run in terms of construction recruitment is now the longest period of job creation in the sector for more than five years.
While residential construction projects continue to drive the market, the rise in commercial schemes rose at its sharpest in December since August 2007, while there was also a boom in civil engineering activity, which is sure to have contributed to the positive results.
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