Construction output increased by 0.4% in 2024 compared with 2023, with thelatest ONS data for December 2024 completing the results for last year.
The largest increases in 2024 were seen in repair and maintenance (R&M) output, with public housing output in the R&M sector up by 14.2% on 2023. In new work, positive growth was only seen in the ‘public other’ sector, which includes education and health. Total new housing was down 5.7%.
On a monthly basis, December’s output saw a 1.1% increase in new work compared with November 2024 and a 1.9% increase on December 2023. R&M output in December was 1.8% less than in November and1.0% higher than in December 2023. All work was down 0.2% on the month.
Dr David Crosthwaite, Chief Economist at BCIS, said: “It’s good news that construction output grew by 0.5% in the last quarter of 2024, outperforming the wider economy, which is estimated to have grown by just 0.1% in the same period.
“Construction output growth was slightly better than expected given that the Christmas shutdown was included in the figures and the December numbers fell on a monthly basis. However, on an annual basis, construction output grew by just 0.4% overall through 2024 which is disappointing.
“Quarterly growth came mainly from the new work sectors, with repair and maintenance output falling back during the quarter. Private housing, public other and private industrial work were the primary drivers of growth during the quarter.”
At the sector level, five out of the nine sectors fell in December 2024; the main contributors to the monthly decrease were non-housing repair and maintenance, and private housing repair and maintenance, which fell by 1.8% and 1.4%, respectively.
Total construction new orders fell by 2.4% (£231 million) in Quarter 4 2024 compared with Quarter 3 2024; this quarterly decrease came solely from infrastructure new work and private industrial new work, which fell by 23.5% (£496 million) and 19.7% (£197 million), respectively.
