After plummeting to -10 in October 2019, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)Future Trends Survey jumped 13 points in November to +3; one of the largest increases in workload predictions the monthly RIBA survey has seen.

Most regions showed …..

…… an increase in optimism during the month; participating practices in Wales & the West returned a +10 balance (up from -25), while the North of England returned a figure of +16 (up from +6).   Practices in London and the South of England both had a zero-balance figure, up from -13 and -21 respectively.   Only the Midlands & East Anglia region was less positive, returning a balance figure of -6 in November.

In terms of practice size, small practices (1-10 staff) showed a 16-point increase since October to +1, while medium-sized practices soared to +42 (from +31), and large practices remained consistent at +25.

Whilst remaining in negative territory, sentiment improved across all sectors in November.   The community sector, the commercial sector and the private housing sector were all at -4, and the public sector rose to -3.

The Future Trends Staffing Index, which measures expectations of the number of permanent staff over the next three months, increased three points in November, to +2.

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RIBA Head of Economic Research and Analysis, Adrian Malleson, said, “The November 2019 workload predictions suggest a moment of recovery for the architectural community, with some pre-election optimism about increases in enquires and an expectation of a rise in work.

“Nevertheless, the architectural market remains fragile and uncertainty persists with practices continuing to report projects failing to move beyond planning, client caution and downward pressure on fees.   We can expect further fluctuations in the index over the coming months, as architects respond and adapt to the changing landscape.”

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