Nearly half (47%) of all Master Builder companies reported a fall in enquiries for new work at the end of last year leading to a 15% fall in workloads, according to the latest State of Trade Survey from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), for Q4 2023. Brian Berry, chief executive of the FMB said: “2023 was undoubtedly a difficult year for small building companies with falling enquiries and workloads starting to drop. “Significantly, conditions for the repair, maintenance and improvement (RMI) sector, which had been the main driver for construction output, worsened for the first time.” Berry continued: “The good news from our survey is the reported easing of material price rises with fewer Master Builder companies having to increase their prices for building work. “However, with house building rates continuing to remain low and the recent fall in RMI activity an alarming downward trend is emerging for small builders, which will need to be addressed in the upcoming Budget.” The FMB State of Trade Survey for Q4 2023 found: Market conditions Skills Changes in prices and costs
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