UK construction output falls 0.3% year-on-year in first quarter, climbs in March

UK construction output declined in the first quarter of 2015, as production in the sector fell across the board, the Office for National Statistics said.

According to official data released on Friday, construction output declined 0.3% year-on-year in the first quarter, the first year-on-year decline since the second quarter of 2013, while production fell 1.1% compared with the previous quarter.

Within the sector, new work declined 1.7% compared with the previous three months, marking the largest quarter-on-quarter fall since the corresponding period in 2013, driven by a sharp fall in January.

Total housing, public other new work and private commercial work fell 3.4%, 6.6% and 3.0% respectively on the quarter, ONS said.

Meanwhile, output in the construction industry increased 3.9% month-on-month in March, offsetting declines in the previous two months, climbing 1.6% year-on-year.