brickonomics

A fragile UK economy has traditionally spelt particularly bad news for the construction industry but, wonders @brickonomics, could the need for a complete overhaul of the built environment offer hope for architects ow.ly/qcXf50Q6Rv1 #ribajintelligence

@TorstenBell @resfoundation Sorry, not clear. How much is not going to university, how much is not going home after but to places where graduates get better jobs or prefer to live? Even when I went to university decades ago the pull on graduates to London or major cities was huge

100% agree. One of the defining features of “red/blue wall” is too few people going to university - these seats not only have far fewer graduates but saw a well below average increase this century ie no catch-up

Interesting piece on the slowing home improvement market, partially offset by strong energy efficiency (insulation & solar/PV) measures & working from home, plus the issues with the official rm&i data. @brickonomics in @RIBAJ. #ukconstruction #ukhousing ribaj.com/intelligence/m…

@I_Am_NickBloom Interesting. Thought. Is it possible to adjust for selection effects. Say, those in jobs where out-of-hours engagement is expected being more likely to be hybrid working? E.g. those provided with some flexibility to account for the type of work but not total flexibility?

Hybrid workers - those with a mix of WFH and in person each week - have the most porous work-home boundaries. Each week they responded to almost 6 calls, messages and emails in evenings and weekends. Maybe one downside of WFH is the blurring of work/non-work boundaries?

The pain from the coming mortgage crunch is bigger than that of the late 80s - but the pain is more concentrated onto 30% of families (because older people are more likely to own outright and younger people less likely to own at all) resolutionfoundation.org/comment/crapgp…

What boroughs have the most architects, and how does this compare with other professions? @brickonomics examines the latest census data to find out what it tells us about the architecture profession #ribajintelligence ow.ly/RZVa50ONeBv

Private housing repair, maintenance & improvement (rm&i) is now the 2nd largest construction sector according to the ONS (although the ONS data appear to have deflator issues, so the ONS appears to be overestimating volume of activity in the sector). #ukconstruction #construction

UK construction materials prices in March 2023 were 8.7% higher than a year ago according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which is lower than the 10.6% materials price inflation in February &... (1/n) #ukconstruction #construction #materials #inflation

Quarter of a million people are needed in construction by 2027 but public perceptions mean too many overlook it as a career. Our Real Face of Construction report reveals that economic growth is under threat unless worker shortages are addressed. orlo.uk/2o8kA #ciob

The problematic rise of the ‘ultra-marathon’ mortgage on.ft.com/40Z4HgR | opinion

As other professionals take industrial action, @brickonomics examines how architects’ pay compares with that of other white-collar workers #ribajintelligence ow.ly/P8Xh50NA4Rr

The rise in home-working has raised fears that office buildings will become “stranded assets”, becoming a liability for the investor. But architects’ skills at adaptive reuse could save the day, writes @brickonomics #ribajintelligence ribaj.com/intelligence/m…

@PricedOutUK What you link to does not appear to be a Guardian article but a letter to the Guardian complaining about a Guardian article. Have I missed something?

Another day, another odiously middle-class Guardian article filled with NIMBY talking points designed to protect the wealthiest in this country. We need to build at least 300,000 homes a year focused in the least affordable areas to bring down prices. theguardian.com/society/2022/d…

Gotta piece into today's FT. ft.com/content/7b0440…

308 construction firms became insolvent in the UK in September 2022, which is 8.9% lower than in August but 6.9% higher than a year ago according to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). (1/n) #ukconstruction #construction

NEW: While rates of poor health in the population are increasing, our research shows this is not the key driver of increase rates of older people leaving work for economic inactivity. Read @JCribbEcon and Bee Boileau's briefing> ifs.org.uk/articles/worse…

A long thread on the initial direct & indirect impacts of the chaos in the markets over the past week on UK house building & construction ... #ukconstruction #construction #ukhousing #housing

Featuring @ianmulheirn and @resi_analyst 👇

@ChrisGiles_ @ONS What interests me more is why the share of 65+ is not bigger given a rising state pension age and the current 65 yo group representing about 3/4 m people (boomers). I sort of accept a bit of bouncing in the data q/q given the challenges with LFS during a disruptive period

The most extraordinary thing in today's UK labour market data Working oldies Quarterly change in employmeny 16-64 yr olds: -14,000 Aged 65+ : +173,000 Either this is cost of living crisis biting hard - or rubbish data - What do you reckon @ONS?

Naturally, I am rather hoping I am wrong in my interpretation

Just comparing latest ONS real earnings data with BoE's A millennium of macroeconomic data. Charting 10 yr growth data, the sustained period of suppressed real earnings since 2008 looks like the worst for at least two centuries, maybe longer. We're in very odd and worrying times.