Financial News: UK Construction Sector Downturn Continues

UK Construction Sector Downturn Continues

04/08/2026 - 06:26:00 (RTTNews)

(RTTNews) - The UK construction sector continued to shrink in March as new orders declined the most in four months, survey results from S&P Global showed Wednesday.

The construction Purchasing Managers' Index declined to 45.6 in March from 44.5 in February. The score remained below neutral 50.0 mark for the fifteenth month in a row.

Residential work remained by far the weakest-performing category. Civil engineering and commercial construction also contracted in March. All three sub-categories recorded slower rates of contraction than in February.

New business dropped the most in four months with the latest fall attributed to rising risk aversion among clients due to elevated global economic uncertainty.

There was a sharper fall in employment in March. Purchasing activity also decreased in response to reduced workloads.

Further, data showed that average lead times among vendors lengthened for the first time since July 2025. Input prices declined at the fastest pace since November 2022.

Business optimism fell to its lowest in three months in March. Concerns about the inflation outlook, higher borrowing costs and the prospect of a protracted war in the Middle East all weighed on expectations.

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