Activity rises once more

The outlook for the European construction industry improved once again in October, following on from a rise during the previous month.

A balance figure of +11.0% of survey respondents said activity levels in October were higher than in September. This was up from the figure of +6.7% seen in September, and was the highest figure recorded since April.

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

Respondents also showed increased optimism about the future, with a balance of +36.4% saying they expected activity to be higher in a year’s time than now. This was up from the +27.0% seen in September, and was close to the highest figure seen in 2016 so far, with the highest coming in June, at +49.1%.

A balance of +5.9% of survey respondents, however, said activity levels in October were worse than a year previously. This compared to a higher balance of +10.1% in September, showing work had decreased year-on-year.

The CE Climate figure was also up in October to +14.6%, compared with the +13.7% seen in July, which is now one of five months in 2016 to date to see the figure drop below +20%.

Confidence about the future has improved once again, with figures generally increasing month-on-month.

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