Scottish Construction Jobs under threat
Dire warnings regarding Scotland’s construction industry have been released which speculate that 11,000 jobs could be cut in 2011. The losses are expected to be due to construction workloads flagging next year which could see industry output decrease by over £600m.
The survey chronicling this data was carried out by The Scottish Building Federation (SBF). The statistics show that nearly two thirds of those who contributed to the survey are expecting to be forced to reduce their staff numbers. I measly 5%think that they will be able to increase their workforce.
These revelations come after a slight recovery for the construction industry during 2010; a recovery which is deemed to reverse. Michael Levack, chief executive for SBF has remarked that:
“Overall, as 2010 draws to a close, I think the mood amongst construction firms is very apprehensive. With the value of new orders apparently shrinking, with Scotland’s public capital budget facing a cut of more than 20% next year, and with many other sectors of the industry – not least house building and commercial – continuing to struggle, our members are bracing themselves for tough times ahead.”
He also advised that MSP’s should take “careful heed” of the information and take it into consideration for the coming negotiations for next year’s Scottish budget.