Monthly construction output decreases as UK manufacturers climb rankings

Monthly construction output from the Office for National Statistics is estimated to have decreased 0.5% in volume terms in July 2023; this follows a 1.6% increase in June 2023, with the monthly value in level terms in July 2023 at £15,546 million.

The decrease in monthly output came solely from a 1.3% decrease in repair and maintenance, with new work increasing 0.1% on the month.

At the sector level, five out of the nine sectors saw a fall in July 2023, with the main contributors to the monthly decrease being private housing repair and maintenance, and private housing new work, which decreased 3.9% and 2.2%, respectively.

Anecdotal evidence suggested the effect of heavy rainfall and lower-than-average temperatures in July 2023 leading to delays in planned work; additional evidence indicated a continued slowdown in the housing sector.

Alongside the monthly decrease, construction output was flat in the three months to July 2023; this came from a 0.3% increase in new work, offset by a 0.4% decrease in repair and maintenance.

Meanwhile, the latest ‘Manufacturing – The Facts’ report from Make UK reveals the UK’s manufacturing sector has climbed one place to eighth in the world rankings, overtaking France in the process.

The fact card details a wide variety of data about the contribution of manufacturing to the economy including exports, sectoral breakdown, how the UK compares to other nations and salary levels.

The sectors output was worth £224bn in 2022 - with six of the top ten export markets for UK goods remaining in the EU. Aerospace and Transport saw the largest growth in exports and increased by 27.9%, highlighting the subsectors significance to the economy.

Contrary to popular opinion, manufacturing jobs are better paid than both services and the economy overall. The average salary in manufacturing was £36,488, which is almost 10% higher than the economy average of £33,402 and £32,676 for services.

The North West remains the biggest manufacturing area of the UK, worth £28.2bn in output and employing 314,000 people. The sector accounts for almost 15% of North West economic output and 8% of regional employment.