Optimistic outlook continues

The outlook for the European construction industry continues to look strong, despite a slightly lower balance figure compared to January, while activity in February increased month-on-month.

A balance figure of +1.1% of survey respondents said activity levels in February were higher than in January. This was up from the figure of -3.2% seen in January, which was the lowest figure recorded since the previous August.

The balance figure is the percentage of positive responses minus the percentage of negative responses.

Respondents continued to hold a strong outlook on the future, with a balance of +40.7% saying they expected activity to be higher in a year’s time than now. This was, however, down from +51.6% recorded in January, which was higher than any figure seen in 2016.

A balance of +12.1% of survey respondents said activity levels in February were better than a year previously. This compared to a higher balance of +22.1% in December.

The CE Climate figure was also down in February to +17.9%, compared with the +23.5% seen in December.

Confidence about the future remains very high, continuing on a promising start to the year.

Take part

The survey, which takes just a one minute to complete, is open to all construction professionals working in Europe. The CE Barometer survey is open from the 1st to the 15thof each month on our website. Full information can be found at www.cebarometer.eu