The first survey found a general mood of optimism about the future – with workloads above capacity, and order books providing a reasonable level of work for 4-6 months for the majority, and in many cases for 6+ months. The general trend has been an increase in numbers employed, the total value of orders, and the level of activity for businesses.

However, most businesses said, despite rising costs, the average value of contracts remained the same, leading to some caution and an overall market confidence rating of 6.9 of out 10.