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Demand signals

Busier or quieter? The demand signals

Wait times show how booked up trades are. These readings show which way work is heading. Each is the latest figure we could verify, labelled busier, steady or quieter by what the publisher itself says about the direction.

busier

steady

quieter

Net balance = % of firms reporting a rise minus % reporting a fall. PMI above 50 means growth on the previous month. These are survey measures of how widespread a change is, not the size of it.

Industry activity

43.6

PMI total activity Quieter
index (50 = no change) · October 2026. Down from 46.1 in September; below 50 for the 22nd month running
S&P Global UK Construction PMI, 5 Nov 2026

35.1

PMI house building Quieter
index · October 2026. Lowest since December 2025
S&P Global UK Construction PMI, 5 Nov 2026

45.9

PMI civil engineering Quieter
index · October 2026. Slowest fall since May 2025
S&P Global UK Construction PMI, 5 Nov 2026

46.3

PMI commercial Quieter
index · October 2026. Eased from September's 16-month high
S&P Global UK Construction PMI, 5 Nov 2026

-1%

ONS construction output, 3 months to August Quieter
% vs previous 3 months · Jun-Aug 2026. Second consecutive 3-month fall; private new housing -3.2%
ONS, 15 Oct 2026

-0.2%

ONS monthly output, August Quieter
% m/m · August 2026. Fourth consecutive monthly fall; repair and maintenance grew 0.4%
ONS, 15 Oct 2026

-11.8%

ONS new orders, Q2 Quieter
% q/q · Q2 2026. Fall of £1,232m vs Q1, mainly private commercial and public other new work
ONS, 13 Aug 2026

What builders and surveyors say

-4

FMB builders' workloads Quieter
net balance · H1 2026. Down from +22 in H2 2025
FMB/CIOB State of Trade H1 2026, 10 Nov 2026

-10

FMB builders' enquiries Quieter
net balance · H1 2026. Down from +18 in H2 2025, the sharpest downturn of the three measures
FMB/CIOB State of Trade H1 2026, 10 Nov 2026

-7

RICS construction workloads Quieter
net balance · Q3 2026. From -4 in Q2; sixth negative quarter in a row
RICS Construction Monitor, 5 Nov 2026

-18

RICS private housing workloads Quieter
net balance · Q3 2026. From -12 in Q2
RICS Construction Monitor, 5 Nov 2026

+18

RICS infrastructure workloads Busier
net balance · Q3 2026. Strongest in eight quarters; energy +37
RICS Construction Monitor, 5 Nov 2026

+12

RICS workload expectations, next 12 months Steady
net balance · Q3 2026. Broadly unchanged from +13
RICS Construction Monitor, 5 Nov 2026

36%

RICS respondents citing labour shortages Steady
% · Q3 2026. Unchanged; insufficient demand cited by 41%
RICS Construction Monitor, 5 Nov 2026

Forecasts

-4%

CPA total construction output forecast 2026 Quieter
% · 2026 forecast. Downgraded from -3.3% in Summer
CPA Autumn forecasts, 26 Oct 2026

0.4%

CPA total construction output forecast 2027 Steady
% · 2027 forecast. Downgraded from +1.2% in Summer
CPA Autumn forecasts, 26 Oct 2026

-8%

CPA private housing RM&I forecast 2026 Quieter
% · 2026 forecast. Then -2.0% in 2027; basic repairs steady, heat pumps and solar PV growing
CPA Autumn forecasts, 26 Oct 2026

-10%

CPA private new housing forecast 2026 Quieter
% · 2026 estimate. Then -3.0% in 2027
CPA Autumn forecasts, 26 Oct 2026

2.5%

CPA infrastructure forecast 2026 Busier
% · 2026 forecast. Then +2.9% in 2027
CPA Autumn forecasts, 26 Oct 2026

-0.2%

CITB output growth forecast 2026 Quieter
% · 2026. Recovering to +1.8% in 2027
CITB Workforce Outlook data, 17 Jun 2026

Insolvencies

3,873

Construction insolvencies, England and Wales, 12 months Steady
firms · 12 months to Sep 2026. 2% fewer than a year earlier but 20% more than 2019 (3,221); construction has the most insolvencies of any sector
Insolvency Service via BCIS, 21 Oct 2026

285

Construction insolvencies, England and Wales, September Steady
firms · September 2026. 16% of all insolvencies; 305 in August
Insolvency Service via BCIS, 21 Oct 2026

191

Construction insolvencies, Scotland, 12 months Steady
firms · 12 months to Sep 2026. 193 a year earlier
Insolvency Service via BCIS, 21 Oct 2026

By nation

Where	Measure	Figure	Period	Source
England	Builders' workloads (net balance)	+22	H2 2025	FMB/CIOB State of Trade H2 2025, 31 Mar 2026
England	Builders' enquiries (net balance)	+19	H2 2025	FMB/CIOB State of Trade H2 2025, 31 Mar 2026
Scotland	Builders' workloads (net balance)	+28	H2 2025	FMB/CIOB State of Trade H2 2025, 31 Mar 2026
Scotland	Builders' enquiries (net balance)	+16	H2 2025	FMB/CIOB State of Trade H2 2025, 31 Mar 2026
Wales	Builders' workloads (net balance)	+7	H2 2025	FMB/CIOB State of Trade H2 2025, 31 Mar 2026
Wales	Builders' enquiries (net balance)	+14	H2 2025	FMB/CIOB State of Trade H2 2025, 31 Mar 2026
Northern Ireland	Builders' workloads (net balance)	+35	H2 2025	FMB/CIOB State of Trade H2 2025, 31 Mar 2026
Northern Ireland	Builders' enquiries (net balance)	+12	H2 2025	FMB/CIOB State of Trade H2 2025, 31 Mar 2026
Scotland	Builders' workloads (net balance)	+31	H1 2026	FMB Scotland, 10 Nov 2026
Scotland	Builders' enquiries (net balance) Only UK nation where enquiries rose	+9	H1 2026	FMB Scotland, 10 Nov 2026
England	Builders' workloads (net balance)	-9	H1 2026	FMB Scotland, 10 Nov 2026
Wales	Builders' workloads (net balance)	+14	H1 2026	FMB Cymru, 10 Nov 2026
Wales	Builders' enquiries (net balance)	-8	H1 2026	FMB Cymru, 10 Nov 2026

So is it busy or not?

Both, depending on the trade. Big discretionary jobs like new homes, extensions and major home improvements are where demand is falling hardest. Basic repairs have held steady (repair and maintenance output grew 0.4% in August, ONS, 15 Oct 2026), and heat pumps, solar and infrastructure are still growing (CPA Autumn forecasts, 26 Oct 2026; RICS Construction Monitor, 5 Nov 2026). Our tradesperson poll will add a direct "up, same or down?" reading by trade and region.