Over three quarters of firms shrink or stand still in third quarter

electrician

Source:

Electrical contractors continued to suffer in the third quarter of this year, with over three quarters of firms reporting turnover dropping or standing still.

The Electrical Contractors鈥 Association (ECA鈥檚) quarterly business trends survey found 33% of electrical contractors shrunk over the period, while 45% reported no change on the previous quarter鈥檚 figures.

Businesses with a turnover of up to 拢200k per year were the worse hit, with 42% reporting a decrease in turnover and 44% reporting no change.

Over three quarters (77%) of firms predict revenue will stay the same or fall in the next 12 months.

The survey results come after a dismal year for the electrical contracting specialist sector, with several high profile casualties, including , and .

Steve Bratt, chief executive at the ECA, said: 鈥淟ife in our sector is still tough, as more and more firms compete for less work, and projects with smaller profit margins.

鈥淭he 拢5bn investment in infrastructure and the launch of PF2 mentioned in the Autumn Statement will, I hope, lead to a resurgence in the healthcare and education markets; two key areas of income for construction. However, we need something which will give the industry a boost now.鈥