Features
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February showed construction shaped by constraints beyond the build itself. Regulatory reform in the UK, programme disruption on major European infrastructure, and power and funding constraints in the US all influenced how — and how quickly — projects could move from plan to delivery.
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ONS data shows UK construction employment fell again in 2025. Employment in the industry has dropped by roughly 270,000 since 2019, while pay growth cooled sharply through late 2025, according to Labour Force Survey and average weekly earnings series.
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January tightened the rules while demand stayed stubbornly weak everywhere. In the UK, the market remained in contraction as housing funding, safety oversight, rail delivery, and water reform all advanced. Europe shifted carbon compliance into day-to-day importing, and formalised routes for lower-carbon materials. The US combined affordability strain with infrastructure funding volatility.
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A new findings report from the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard Pilot sets out how Version 1 will work in practice.