Latest survey by the National Specialist Contractors' Council (NSCC) revealed that order books of specialist contractors are continuing to shrink. 46% of contractors reported a decrease in orders in the fourth quarter of 2011, a significant rise on the 37% that saw the number of orders decline in the third quarter.
Only 57% of specialist contractors now working on public sector construction projects, comparing to the previous figure of 67%.
The cutbacks in investment and the reduction in capital expenditure sparking fears of further downturn in the construction industry. A third of specialist contractors predict further reductions in workloads over the next year and a quarter of respondents expect to downsize their businesses during this period.
78% of building contractors surveyed have retentions withheld against them at an average of £150,000 per respondent, with 32% of all retentions overdue for release and 21% ultimately written off as bad debt.