2009 Q4 Building Industry Confidence Survey Results
eboss, the online technical library for the New Zealand building industry, has conducted its quarterly survey of building industry professionals to assess confidence levels amongst the architects, architectural designers, builders, engineers, interior designers, specifiers and suppliers that comprise the New Zealand building industry. More than 175 building industry professionals representing every region of New Zealand responded to the survey.

4.  More work in the pipeline

The survey reveals that 70.4% of the building industry have up to 6 months of forward work or more, almost mirroring the Q2 figure of 72.1%.  This figure is relied upon by builders in particular as a lead indicator of what will happen six months down the track.

The number of firms who have 3 to 6 months is trending upwards since Q2 (now at 36.1%), so things are heading in the right direction.

Gareth Kiernan explains "we are not expecting massive jumps at this stage, and this gradual improvement since the last quarter is taking us in the right direction.  We will be looking at the middle of next year before we see that kick up a bit faster.”

Mike Flooks says his own firm would fall into the 3 to 6 month range.

“Even 4 or 5 months ago, we wouldn’t have been that far out. It is interesting to note that it has become the norm over the past 2 or 3 years to have 6 months of work in front of you, however if you go back 7 years or so, it would have been much less. People started to panic when that forward work wasn’t there, however if you have been in the industry for some time, you may have lived through this phenomenon before.”