CE Barometer: Construction steady in April

Sentiment in April on the European construction industry remained at similar levels to those seen in March, as the market recovered from the traditional winter lull.

A balance figure of 19.4% of survey respondents said activity levels in April were higher than in March. This was almost unchanged from last month’s balance figure of +22.8%, but up significantly on results seen in December, January and February. The balance figure is the percentage of positive responses minus the percentage of negative responses.

April was also the fifth month in a row when sentiment about the future improved. A balance of +40.8% of respondents said they expected activity levels to be higher in a year’s time compared to this month – a marginal increase on the figure seen in March, but again a big improvement from the winter months’ results.

Elsewhere, a positive balance of respondents said they were busier now than a year ago. The figure in April was +18.4%, down from the result seen in March, but an improvement on previous months.

This generally positive outlook took the CE Climate figure – a composite number based on responses to all questions – to +26.2% in April. This was down a fraction from the +28.2% result seen in march, but much better than December, January and February’s results.

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 1^st to the 15^th of each month on our website. Full information can be found at www.cebarometer.eu