Construction slide bodes ill for Scots
News that Scottish unemployment fell by 7,000 between December and February has been greeted by our politicians as evidence that Scotland’s economy is on the mend.
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Less widely reported were figures published showing employment in the Scottish construction sector fell by 6,000 in the last quarter of 2010.
More generally, I question the accuracy of figures suggesting Scottish construction employment grew by 14 per cent last year. Scottish Building Federation members tell me a different story of shrinking order books and finances under pressure.
In the short term, building firms are faced with the prospect of plummeting public capital spending and a private sector that is still struggling to recover.
My fear is that indications of construction employment falling at the end of 2010 are a portent of further job losses to come in 2011.
Michael Levack, chief executive, Scottish Building Federation