The NFRC’s latest State of the UK Roofing Industry report, produced by Barbour ABI and based on responses from roofing contractors across the UK, found that many firms feel the Autumn Budget failed to provide the certainty needed for future planning.
Only 9% of respondents felt that the budget provided certainty for future planning.
There was also a steady increase in the percentage of businesses identifying political uncertainty as a key challenge in 2025, with figures rising from 37% in spring to 47% in autumn.
While some measures in the Budget, such as fully subsidised under-25 apprenticeships for SMEs, were welcomed, most respondents indicated that the overall package did little to boost confidence. Very few firms reported that the government was providing them with the support needed to succeed.
“The findings highlight how uncertain political and economic signals are continuing to affect business confidence and investment decisions across the roofing sector,” said NFRC Policy Officer Gray Gibson.
“Our Members need a stable environment to plan, invest, and grow. They make clear in this report that ongoing political and economic uncertainty is making forward planning more difficult.
“Proposed changes, including a new single construction regulator, the licensing of professions, and reform of construction products regulations, would fundamentally reshape the construction sector and take years to implement. If pursued without explicit cross-party consensus, they risk limiting industry buy-in and further undermining confidence,” said Gibson.
The survey results also point to a subdued period for workload and new enquiries, reflecting general weather constraints at the end of 2025 and wider pressures across the construction sector.
Commercial repair, maintenance and improvement (RM&I) remains the most positive segment of the market, offering a degree of resilience compared with other areas of work. However, overall enquiry levels continued to soften.
Contractors in the North of England were notably more pessimistic about their prospects for 2026, while businesses in other regions reported a more balanced outlook.
Alongside uncertainty, the continued shortage of skilled workers remains one of the most pressing challenges for roofing contractors, impacting recruitment and cost of employment.
Seventy per cent of firms reported that recruitment difficulties are limiting their ability to take on work, a 5% increase from the summer.
