10,000 Construction Jobs On The Line

More than 10,000 UK building and insulation jobs could be lost if the government cuts so-called green levies on energy bills, a campaign group has warned.

The UK Green Building Council has claimed that construction firms installing energy efficiency measures through the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and manufacturers that make products such as solid wall insulation fear more than 10,000 jobs could be lost if ECO is scrapped or scaled back.

They expressed caution after prime minister David Cameron signalled his desire to roll back green levies following the public debate on the cost they add to household energy bills.

The chancellor George Osborne was expected to announce an easing of the taxes which were designed to encourage investment in and production of sustainable energy and efficiency while penalising dirty fossil fuels.

But Paul King, chief executive of the UK Green Building Council, said the government's proposal could lose thousands of jobs.

"The prime minister needs to realise that going after ECO in a bid to cut household energy bills could end up costing 10,000 construction and insulation jobs," said King.

"That will decimate the very industry that is helping people - including some of the most vulnerable in society - reduce their bills in the long-term."

The Association of the Conservation of Energy estimated that up to 33,000 people are employed delivering ECO and the Green Deal.

This should have risen to 60,000 jobs in 2015, according to government's own projections.

Rob Lambe, managing director of Willmott Dixon Energy Services, added: "We have invested heavily in establishing a business to respond to the projected market opportunities of energy efficiency under ECO.

"Over the next year we anticipated employing more than 400 tradesmen installing insulation to solid walled properties.

"But if ECO funding is cut, this work will simply come to a grinding halt and these jobs will be lost, with thousands more at risk in the wider industry."

The government is expected to announce its intentions in the autumn statement in December.

Sourced from http://www.ibtimes.co.uk

Industrial Trade - Todays Climate

Industrial Trade - Today's Climate

It has been hard times for many small industrial businesses over the last 4-5 years due to the economic downturn of the double dip recession in the UK, so is the struggle over? As the government  predicts a triple dip recession it looked as though we were not out of the woods just yet, however released figures show that we have managed to avoid falling into yet another recession after recording a faster-than-expected growth in the first three months of 2013 and national statistics showed an increase of 0.6% compared to the first three months of 2012. It's an encouraging sign and I'm sure it's been music to small business owners ears throughout the UK.

SIAD Ltd Industrial Roofing & Construction

So how is the industrial tradesman holding out in this fragile and uncertain climate? Well, it seems that small business owners in the industrial trade have seen a slight increase (those who have managed to fight their way through the recessions). I remember reading an article last year;

'One in three companies now make a loss in the roofing and cladding industry'

It was reported that as the economic conditions continued to take their toll, many company owners were burying their heads in the sand. As many as 391 companies made a loss last year within the roofing and cladding industry and I'm sure there are more that have been reported since reading this. For those who have seen it through and pulled budgets back to the bare minimum, 2013 looks to be a bit more promising. Companies are slowly starting to spend money, invest it back into the company to (fingers-crossed) see a return for their efforts. 

I will be keeping a close eye on the impact this year will have on small business owners as we have been promised economic growth, I'm yet to feel 100% certain that this will be the case. 

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Optimistic words in the Construction Industry

SIAD Ltd - Industrial Roofing and Asbestos Roofing Specialists

Across the UK the construction industry has been finding it tough going to find consistent streams of work. It has been stated that the UK construction industry has suffered approx a 3.6% decrease in this sector compared to previous years. Although at the same time we seem to be supplying a steady demand for plant machinery as some of the big named companies are filling healthy orders.

This indicates that while the need for construction work may have decreased to well over £500 million, companies are spending money to make money, hoping to see a return on investments. While the South seem to be sitting in it's own bubble managing to sustain a good level of work it's the North that seems to be worst effected along with Wales. The Government plans to roll out initiatives to help the growth of the British construction industry. I'm sure that small business owners will be unsure of how true these stats are as most of the figures will be influenced quite heavily on the larger more established companies, who if lost a £100'000 wouldn't batter an eye about! At least there is hope as more jobs are being created in the South-east and London than anywhere else in the UK (hence the sitting in it's own bubble). This should now start fierce competition for these opening positions. The government is also looking to get more young people aware of working in the construction business, apprenticeships have always been a popular way for many people to work their way up the building trade. For company owners it's low paid labor that can offer great returns in young enthusiasts, many of which move on to creating their own small company and with the help of the banks slowly starting to loosen their purse string on company start-up loans this looks to be an area in which we should see flourish in the coming years.

If you like this short post please comment below, feedback wold be great for us to know what you would like to hear about in the upcoming posts. 

Happy commenting everyone.

SIAD

Industrial Roofing and Asbestos Roofing Specialists