The Royal Institute of British Architects’ (RIBA) Future Trends
Workload Index underwent a dramatic fall this month, dropping from +17 in
October 2017 down to a distinctly chilly -1
in November.
In terms of geographical analysis, the picture remains mixed.
Practices in the North of England (balance figure +7) and the Midlands and East
Anglia (balance figure +18) remain the most optimistic about medium term
workload prospects, but returned significantly lower balance figures in
November than in October.
Practices in London continue to be more pessimistic about future
workloads, with the balance figure for London falling further into negative
territory at -15, the lowest figure for London practices in 2017.
Analysing the November 2017 data in terms of practice size, large
practices (51+ staff) returned a balance figure of zero in November.
Medium-sized practices (11 - 50 staff) returned a balance figure of -5. Small
practices (1 - 10 staff), with a balance figure of -1, were also more cautious
this month.
In terms of different work sectors, all our sector forecasts were
on a downward trajectory this month. The private housing sector workload
forecast remains the most positive of our sector forecasts but was
significantly down in November 2017, standing at just +4.
The commercial sector workload forecast had a balance figure of-3
in November 2017, down from +5 in October.
The community sector workload forecast (balance figure -7) and the
public-sector workload forecast (balance figure -10) both fell further into
negative territory in November.
The RIBA Future Trends Staffing Index was also down this month,
standing at -4 in November 2017 compared
with +9 in October, entering negative territory for the first time this year.
Small practices (1 - 10 staff), with a balance figure of -5, and
medium-sized practices (11 - 50 staff), with a balance figure of -9, were less
confident about future staffing levels than large practices (51+ staff), who
returned a balance figure of zero.
Commentary received from our participating practices continues to
be somewhat mixed. Some practices report steady workloads but others are seeing
a reduction in new enquiries. Overall sentiment this month does seem to be a
little to the downside in general.
RIBA Executive
Director Members, Adrian Dobson, said: “Our November data shows a bit of a
winter chill as sentiment is driven down by a lack of clarity over the long
term macro-economic outlook and as pressures on fee levels appear to be
tightening. Many of our larger practices have cited uncertainty over the
outcome of the Brexit negotiations leading to caution on the part of
clients.
“However, we shouldn’t
read too much into a single month’s data and these returns pre-date the
decision that the Brexit talks can move to phase 2. My biggest concern is the
drop in the private housing forecast. RIBA will need to keep a close eye on
that in the New Year.”
