2.1 The percentage rise in average contractors’ salaries this year, compared to 7.7% between 2006 and 2007, according to research compiled by Hays.

15.8 The percentage hike in construction prices in Dubai in nine months, according to research from consultant Rider Levett Bucknall. It warned there were ‘serious capacity constraints’, despite the flood of construction firms entering the region.

181 The number of construction-related legal claims filed in the first six months of the year, down 10% from 202 in the same period of 2007. The news has confounded legal experts, who expected a rise in claims as economic problems bite.

42,000 The number of recruits that UK construction will require per year between 2009 and 2013, according to a report by the Construction Skills Network. That’s half the number CSN quoted in a report published before the economic downturn.

74m The amount, in pounds, that Vinci Construction paid to purchase Taylor Woodrow, a deal that will double the size of its UK operations and push its UK turnover to £1.4bn.

2bn The number of bricks expected to be manufactured in the UK this year, the lowest that production has sunk since the 1940s, according to figures from the Construction Products Association.

4bn Value in pounds of the new Building Schools for the Future academies framework, which has doubled in value since its launch in 2007.

Source

Construction Manager