The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has published its latest report on architecture business and employment trends, RIBA Future Trends February 2025.
The report shows that over the next three months, architects expect their workloads to increase, signalling a return to optimism after three months of pessimism.
Practices also intend to recruit more staff, after a dip in confidence last month.
February's RIBA Workload Index rose seven balance points to +5, following January's figure of -2.
All but one region has seen an improvement in outlook, with most now expecting growing workloads.
The outlook across all four monitored work sectors has improved, with rising workloads now expected in both the residential and commercial sectors.
Adrian Malleson, RIBA Head of Economic Research and Analysis, said: "After three months of the profession anticipating declining workloads, this month sees a welcome return of near-term optimism.
“Positive outlooks in the housing and commercial sectors have spurred overall confidence, with the Housing Sector reaching its highest Index figure since mid 2022. This improved outlook is seen nationwide, with only one region reporting a negative outlook.
“London stands out as the most positive region. However, despite this increased optimism, significant risks to future growth remain. These include heightened geopolitical uncertainty and growing threats to global supply chains due to protectionist trade policies. Commentary received from practices in February gives a mixed picture.
“Many describe a challenging market, hindered by client hesitancy, raised interest rates, planning delays, strong fee competition, an increased regulatory burden, and upcoming increases in stamp duty and employer NICs. In such a market, some practices report difficulty gaining sufficient work of sufficient value to maintain current staffing levels and ensure practice viability.
“Other practices, however, give a more optimistic assessment, with reports of more enquiries, full order books for the year, new growth sectors, and an overall strong start to the year.”
