Changes ahead: A glimpse into 2017
December 23, 2016Commercial & Industry
The next 12 months will see contractors attempt to stave off uncertainty as they deliver a huge pipeline while battling skills and tech challenges.
What a strange year 2016 has been.
It was one many will wish to forget, when Brexit and Trump meant political instability became a constant.
David Cameron was forced to resign a little over a year after storming to election victory, a loudmouth property developer became president-elect of the United States, and Europe faced a wave of anti-establishment populism – with Italian PM Matteo Renzi the latest casualty.
Next year looks no clearer politically. Elections loom in France and Germany, with the UK government pledging to trigger Article 50 in Q1, all of which are playing havoc with the financial markets and state of the EU.
The political upset wasn’t quite mirrored on the ground in the UK construction market, but it was another difficult year when the hope had been that conditions would improve dramatically.
Problem jobs continue to be worked through with some claiming an end is in sight, such as Balfour Beatty and Laing O’Rourke. Others are still suffering a miserable time. Interserve’s Adrian Ringrose was a high-profile victim with a stellar career at the firm set to end after a failed move into a new sector (EfW).
