What goes around...
Page 56

If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Construction is a cyclical industry and it is currently in the upward part of its cycle. According to the National Federation of Builders, construction orders in the 12 months to August 2006 rose by 10% compared with the previous 12 months, and orders in the three months to August 2006 rose by 10% from the same period in 2005. Orders in the three months to August 2006 were on a par with the previous three months. with increases in private housing and public non-housing orders being offset by decreases in the public housing, infrastructure, private industrial and private commercial sectors.
• Private housing orders in the 12 months to August 2006 fell by 5% compared with the previous 12 months. Orders in the three months to August 2006 rose by 11% compared with the previous three months, but fell by 6% compared with the same period a year earlier.
• Public housing and housing association orders rose by 36% in the 12 months to August 2006 compared with the previous 12 months.
• Infrastructure orders in the 12 months to August 2006 decreased by 11% compared with the previous 12 months.
• Public non-housing orders (excluding infrastructure) fell by 11% in the 12 months to August 2006.
• Private commercial orders in the 12 months to August 2006 were 40% higher than in the previous 12 months. Orders in the three months to August 2006 were 4% lower than the previous three months, but rose by 57% over the same period a year earlier.
• Private industrial orders in the 12 months to August 2006 rose by 19% compared with the previous year. Orders in the three months to August 2006 fell by 15% compared with the previous three months, and by 1% compared with the same period a year earlier.