UK businesses fully trading: construction
UK businesses fully trading: construction stood at 89.1% in Aug 2026, according to ONS — Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS). It is one of the indicators in the Business trading status (BICS) table (Value · Monthly), with a complete series running from Sep 2021 to Aug 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Business trading status (BICS) table
| Indicator | 08-2026 | 07-2026 | 06-2026 | 05-2026 | 04-2026 | 03-2026 | 02-2026 | 01-2026 | 12-2025 | 11-2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Currently fully trading | |||||||||||
| Construction | 89.1 | 89.5 | 86.6 | 88.7 | 82.3 | 78.1 | 82.6 | 85.5 | 80.8 | 84.6 | |
| Wholesale & retail trade | 83.2 | 84 | 84.4 | 88.4 | 87 | 87.7 | 91.4 | 85.8 | 87.9 | 85.8 |
Understanding UK businesses fully trading: construction
Builders, civil engineering contractors, specialist trade specialists, and property development sites across the United Kingdom maintaining active operations form the population captured by this indicator. The metric records the share of commercial entities reporting uninterrupted building and installation work, separating active sites from those delayed, paused, or wound down. Unlike manufacturing or retail metrics, this scope encompasses firms whose activity relies heavily on weather conditions, site access, and project-based pipelines rather than continuous indoor production.
Analysing these figures demands caution regarding weather-related seasonality, as precipitation and temperature drops regularly interrupt outdoor construction schedules independently of underlying demand. Initial survey releases are subject to late submissions from subcontractors, leading to revisions in subsequent publications. Period-on-period comparisons can be volatile due to the timing of major infrastructure contracts, making broader cyclical observation more reliable. When contrasting this series with output measures, remember that a firm may remain fully trading on paper while working on reduced site capacity.
Frequently asked questions
- Are sole traders and self-employed builders included in this construction trading measure?
- The survey samples registered businesses of all sizes, though unregistered sole traders operating outside standard administrative registers are generally excluded.
- How do weather events influence this construction series?
- Severe weather can temporarily push fully trading firms into partial trading status due to site closures, causing predictable dips that do not reflect permanent structural decline.
- Does this series measure the total value of construction work completed?
- No, it tracks the proportion of construction enterprises reporting standard trading status rather than monetary output or square metres built.