New figures show construction orders fell 14% in the second quarter, with the private housing sector suffering the biggest fall

New orders in the construction industry fell by 14% in the second quarter of the year.

According to new figures from the Office for National Statistics, new orders in the industry fell by 14%, going from 13,482 in the second quarter to 11,606 in the second quarter. It also fell 9% when compared to the same period in 2009, when a total of 12,714 orders were recorded.

The sector that suffered the biggest fall was private housing, which dropped by 24% when compared to the previous quarter, although it rose by 7% compared to the same period in 2009. Public housing fell 23% from the first to the second quarter, but also rose 12% year-on-year.

Other statistics showed:

  • Infrastructure fell 22% from the first quarter, and fell 22% year-on-year.
  • Public non-housing (excluding infrastructure) fell 13% from the first quarter, and fell 17% year-on-year.
  • Private commercial orders fell 7% from the first quarter, but rose 4% year-on-year.  
  • Private industrial orders rose 26% from the first quarter, but fell 13% year-on-year.

Read Building columnist Brian Green’s analysis of the statistics here.

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