Construction workloads fall in second quarter – Daily Business

Construction workloads in Scotland declined through the second quarter of 2025, the lowest balance when compared to other UK regions.

This follows a period of three consecutive quarters where the balance was broadly flat.

The latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Construction Monitor noted a net balance of 5% of Scottish respondents expects workloads to rise over the next year.

However, this is down from the 19% seen in Q1, and the lowest this balance has been in over a year.

And Scottish surveyors are more cautious on the outlook for profit margins. A net balance of -12% of respondents anticipate profit margins will fall over the next year, down from -6% seen in the quarter previous.

Despite lower workloads for the construction sector, surveyors in Scotland continue to report shortages of skilled workers, albeit at a slightly lesser rate than seen in Q1.

Half (50%) of survey respondents noted a shortage in quantity surveyors, down from 56% in the last survey, 37% reported a shortage in bricklayers, down from 42%, and 38% noted a shortage in other construction professionals which was similar to the result in the survey previous.

Survey respondent Colin Brodie of The Rennie Partnership in Falkirk commented that there is a lack of Scottish Government and Local Authority investment.

Brian Minnis of North Lanarkshire Council in Motherwell said there are concerns over US and global tariffs and subsequent impacts on material prices.

Commenting on the UK picture, RICS chief economist, Simon Rubinsohn, said: “The underlying tone in the construction sector remains subdued according to the latest feedback from RICS members.”