We have entered an uneasy stage in the relaxation of covid restrictions and attempts to push on with economic recovery. From today the advice to “work from home if you can” will end, but in a somewhat mixed message the government says it does not want us all rushing back to the office at once. Instead, it wants a more gradual return. Still, 19 July, or “freedom day” as it was once confidently dubbed, shifts responsibility for assessing the risks from government to employers. Not surprisingly, the firms we spoke to are considering their options carefully, weighing up the desire for more productive teams against the prospect of a staff backlash. 

Similarly, construction’s recovery appears to move inexorably forward – and yet there are jitters. The ONS’s latest GDP figures show the sector’s output in the three months to May grew 6.3% compared with the previous three-month period, but output just for May dipped 0.8%. While heavy rain was partly to blame, it was also seen as a sign of a stalling recovery in the face of materials and labour shortages.

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