The latest UK Construction Monitor, published by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and covering the second quarter (Q2) of 2026, shows a firmer picture compared with the previous quarter, with the headline workloads indicator recovering some ground and forward-looking expectations moving back into modestly positive territory.
However, the report continues, activity remains subdued at the aggregate level, with the workloads metric still negative overall, and much of the improvement can be characterised as a partial unwinding of the sharper deterioration seen in Q1 rather than the emergence of clear underlying momentum.
Infrastructure continues to be the most resilient part of the market, but, RICS warns, conditions across the main private sectors remain challenging. Cost expectations, while more moderate than in Q1, remain elevated by historical standards.
Looking at the infrastructure market in more detail, the RICS report states that, within the infrastructure segment, workloads strengthened across most sub-sectors compared with Q1, reinforcing the sector’s position as the strongest part of the UK construction market.
Energy remained the leader, with the net balance rising to +39% (from +24%), while water and sewage was firm at +23% (up from +20%). Communications strengthened to +22% (compared with +8% in Q1), and rail moved into positive territory at +10% (from -3%).
The net balance reading for roads edged higher to +7% (up from +3%). Harbours remained the only sub-sector in marginally negative territory at -2% (broadly unchanged).
Other sectors are not doing as well as Infrastructure, with private housing remaining the weakest sector. Private commercial and private industrial workloads improved somewhat, though both continue to point to weak impetus at present.
Read the full RICS UK Construction Monitor HERE.
RICS chief economist Simon Rubinsohn commented: “The RICS UK Construction Monitor unsurprisingly shows a generally flat picture away from infrastructure, with private housing the weakest sector in terms of workload momentum.
“Financial constraints, highlighting viability challenges, as well as planning and regulations continue to be cited as the major barriers to activity.
“Forward looking metrics suggest that any improvement over the next twelve months will be modest with rising building material costs likely to keep profit margins under pressure.”
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