Jobs and pay to keep growing

摘要

2015 was a rather mixed year for construction. Output grew for the first half of the year before taking a small step back - a 0.1 per cent year-on-year fall - in the third quarter, with the fourth quarter's data still to come. Industry employment fared better with the numbers of jobs filled in the industry rising slightly year on year in each one of the three quarters for which there is data. But the numbers are about 200,000 behind their 2008 heyday. Duncan Bullimore, director of construction and property at recruitment firm Hays, agrees that 2015 was a "jittery year, with growth having degraded through the year". Uncertainty around the general election, problems in the eurozone and concerns over the Chinese economy were all contributing factors. Yet Mr Bullimore voices confidence: "I think next year will be more settled." So what can the industry expect from 2016?