More than 13,000 civils jobs at threat

The poll found that the industry would shrink from about 124,500 jobs in the third quarter of 2009 to about 111,000 in the same period of 2010.

This would represent a loss of 40,000 jobs from the industry’s peak in the third quarter of 2007.

Civils contractors called on chancellor Alistair Darling to take action in next week’s Pre-Budget Report to address the workload, cash flow and procurement problems that are strangling the industry.

The survey showed that 85 per cent had not seen any increase in work available as a result of accelerated investment in public sector projects. Ceca called for long-term plans for investment in transport, energy and flood and sea defences to be published in the next 12 months.

It also urged the Government to re-examine the bundling of small contracts into big block of work, putting it beyond the reach of smaller civils contractors.

Contractors called on the Chancellor to keep VAT at 15% and to freeze fuel duty.

Retentions on contracts should be abolished, it said, and this should be led by clients.

Ceca said the chancellor should instruct the new chief construction adviser to investigate ways in which the public sector can lead the way as a construction client, cutting out waste in pre-qualification processes and reducing tender lists.

Rosemary Beales, Ceca director, said: “The sector is not special pleading. There is a workload crisis in our industry but we accept the situation with public finances will mean that extra money available for investment in infrastructure is going to be in short supply.

“However, there is more the Government could do to boost the sector and head off the run of redundancies that will reduce the workforce by 40,000 jobs in the three years since 2007.”