Data shows 24,000 UK construction jobs lost in the first quarter

The UK construction workforce has fallen to its lowest level since 2003, according to the latest government data.

Employment data published by the Office of National Statistics today shows that the number of people employed in construction fell by 24,000 staff in the first quarter of the year.

This fall, by 1.1%, to 2.11 million workers, sees it fall 5,000 staff below a previous low point of this recession in the first quarter of last year. The number of people employed in construction has now fallen by more than 250,000 staff since the start of the recession.The last time construction employment was this low was the third quarter of 2003.

The construction figures come amidst a pick-up in the wider job market, with 80,000 jobs being added to the economy in the first quarter of the year.

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