Balfour Beatty boss challenges Cable over infrastructure

Balfour Beatty plans to cut jobs next year as a direct result of the uncertainty surrounding infrastructure, its chief executive has warned.

Speaking during a group discussion on ITV News’ Business Club last night, Ian Tyler told business secretary Vince Cable that lack of certainty “particularly in the energy sector” would see his firm and its supply chain forced to reduce headcounts in 2013.

Tyler also predicted that 2013 would be a “lot worse” for construction industry job losses in general than this year.

He said: “The reality is that we hear a lot about the government’s commitment to growth but… if you look at the construction sector, we will have lost a significant number of jobs in the last 12 months and 2013 is going to be a lot worse.

“There is going to be less physical infrastructure created in the UK next year. There are a number of reasons for that. One is that government spending in infrastructure is reducing.

“The second reason is a lack of confidence in the private sector but a third reason, and this is, for us in particular, a major reason we will have to cut back next year, is a lack of certainty over big infrastructure projects and particularly in the energy sector.

“We have got a lot of work we were expecting to come through; we are now going to have to lay people off, our supply chain will have to lay people off.”

Back in October, Building exclusively revealed details of Balfour Beatty’s restructure, which the firm said would result in a maximum of 650 job losses.