Question of the month: New build looks best

In March CE asked its survey respondents which sector of the construction industry looked the most promising for the coming year. Once again it was the civil engineering sector that looks the most promising, but whereas a year ago repair & maintenance in this segment won most votes, this year sees the new build segment looking most attractive.

Likewise in the residential sector, new build work is being seen as a more promising segment than repair and maintenance by the CE Barometer respondents, and this is also a big turnaround from early 2010, when it was all about repair and maintenance. Only in the non-residential sector does renovation work score above new developments in terms of prospects for the year.

Last year the overall split was about 60:40 in favour of repair & maintenance work. This year the opposite is true, with some 62% if respondents saying new build is the most promising segment this year.