Scottish Building Federation

Vaughan Hart A decoupling of output and jobs in the Scottish construction sector could threaten the long-term sustainability of the industry’s recovery, industry body the Scottish Building Federation (SBF) has warned.

Vaughan Hart The number of Scottish construction companies forced into compulsory liquidation fell by 20 per cent last year, according to latest figures from the UK Insolvency Service.

Confidence within the Scottish construction industry has reached a new record high, according to the latest Scottish Construction Monitor. The quarterly survey of the membership of the Scottish Building Federation (SBF) found that confidence reached a score of plus 29, an increase of three points on

Tackling skills shortages and developing the use of new building techniques have been highlighted as priorities in a new Skills Investment Plan for Scotland’s construction sector released by Skills Development Scotland (SDS). Published today, the new strategy follows consultations with employers,

A rise in Scottish building apprentice numbers has prompted the industry training body to call on more people to consider a career in construction. New figures have been released by the Scottish Building Apprenticeship and Training Council (SBATC), the body responsible for registering all apprentice

Vaughan Hart Today’s latest official labour market figures are further proof that rates of employment within the Scottish construction industry are proving slow to recover, according to the Scottish Building Federation.

Vaughan Hart By Vaughan Hart, managing director at Scottish Building Federation

Output in the construction industry has been estimated to have increased by 7.4 per cent last year when compared to 2013, according to the latest figures. Data for the fourth quarter of last year from the Office for National Statistics revealed that all work types recorded increases except infrastru

Vaughan Hart By Vaughan Hart, managing director at Scottish Building Federation

Vaughan Hart Employers in the Scottish construction industry are calling for increased funding to help recruit and train more apprentices and have highlighted critical skills shortages in a number of key trades and managerial positions.

Vaughan Hart The Scottish Building Federation (SBF) has expressed concern about new evidence pointing to a fragmentation in the Scottish construction industry as a result of the economic downturn.

Employers in the Scottish construction sector are ‘cautiously optimistic’ about future prospects for the industry as 42 per cent expect to take on more workers over the next three years. However, the reduction in industry employment experienced in recent years combined with a steadily ageing wor

Vaughan Hart The Scottish Building Federation has called for more action to encourage people to work in Scottish construction after new figures revealed a drop in employment within the sector.

New official output figures from the Office of National Statistics have shown that Scotland had seen the greatest improvement in construction activity output in the UK as a whole. The vast majority of the 12 per cent overall increase north of the border in the year to June was from infrastructure pr

A revival in the construction industry north of the Border remains “fragile”, the Federation of Master Builders Scotland (FMB) has warned. The group’s new services director Gordon Nelson said it was encouraging to see official UK-wide output showing a 1.5 per cent uplift in construction output