BHETA ECONOMIC SNAPSHOT BHETA ECONO BHETA ECONO
OMIC SNAPSHOT T WORKING FOR
The la test facts and figures from the British Home Enhancement Tr and what they mean f or suppliers to the home improvement industry .
HETA
Grinsell says: figures
director “Latest
TA DIY sector Paul
it needs to re-educate the British workforc e that
conscientious workforce, it
has then pr oper
say that the UK population
in
employment is at its highest for some considerable time, at 74.9%. “There ar e lots of debates around this figur e in terms of part-time and zer o contract jobs but one element of the figur e is the employment of non-British workers, legally in the UK and legally in gainful, tax- paying work. Not surprisingly these workers have been the subject of considerable media coverage, as the nation speculates about Br exit and its implications for the future movement of people within EU countries.
rprisingly y,,
“Most of this coverage has focused on two sectors: the health service and pr ofit-sector catering. While I appreciate the dependence that hospitals and hospitality have on ‘for eign’ workers and how legislative changes could impact on consumer expectations and lifestyles, I am worried about the lack of attention paid to the same issues as they af fect our industry “Wher e are the voices of concern about the staffing of war ehouses and distribution centres? Wher e are the advocates for seasonal workers acr oss all the UK businesses that ar e massively dependent on Easter growing season, the picking season and Christmas?
ndustry y.. Easter r,, the
“Unless we speak up soon for fr ee movement of labour in our own home and gar den industry then we will soon be finding ourselves faced with some even mor e radical and controversial questions. e are the British
stry Namely, whery,
workers willing to take on these r oles? The idea that it’s all a matter of wage levels is simply not tr ue. Legitimately-employed
workers
whose home countries are outside the UK are not cheap labour – they ar e willing labour.
“If our industry is less able to call upon such a pr oductive and
10 DIY WEEK 25 AUGUST 2017 y,,
jobs with proper pay to of fer – and quickly – or we really will be facing a challenging post-Brexit environment.
Consumer Price Index – June 2017
The Consumer Prices Index, including owner occupiers’ housing costs (CPIH, not a National Statistic) 12-month inflation rate was 2.6% in June 2017, down fr om 2.7% in May 2017. This is the first fall in the CPIH inflation rate since April 2016, although it
re mains higher tha n
in recent years. Falling prices for motor fuels and certain r ecr eational and cultural go ods and service s were the main contributors to the fall in the rate.
were partially
These downwar d contributions offset
by rising
prices for furniture and furnishings. The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) 12-month rate was 2.6% in June 2017, down from 2.9% in May 2017.
Retail Sales – June 2017
In the thr ee months to June 2017, the quantity bought in the r etail industry is estimated to have incr eased by 1.5% with increases seen acr oss all stor e types.
The growth for Quarter 2 (April to June) 2017 follows a decline of 1.4% in Quarter 1 (January-Mar ch) 2017, meaning we are br oadly at the same level as at the start of 2017. Compared with May 2017, volume increased by 0.6% with non-food stor es providing the main contribution. Av
Mortgage approv als – May 2017 According to the Bank of England, net lending secured on dwellings was £3.5 billion in May 2017, slightly higher than its recent average. Mortgage approvals for house purchase were broadly stable at
65,202, while
approvals for remortgaging incr eased slightly to 42,955.
Average house prices in the UK have increased by 4.7% in the year to May 2017 (down from 5.3% in the year to April 2017). The annual gr owth rate has slowed since mid- 2016 but has remained br oadly ar ound 5% during 2017.
House Price Index – May 2017 Av
verage
The average UK house price was £221,000 in May 2017. This is £10,000 higher than in May 2016 and £1,000 higher than last month.
Labour Market – UK Labour Market: May 2017
Average store prices (including petr ol stations) increased by 2.7% on the year following a rise of 3.2% in May 2017; the fall is a consequence of slowing fuel prices.
Online sales (excluding automotive fuel) increased year- on-year by 15.9% and by 1.8% on the month, accounting for approximately 16.2% of all retail spending.
Estimates from the Labour Force Survey show that between December 2016 to February 2017 and March to May 2017, the number of people in work incr eased, the number of unemployed people fell, and the number of people aged 16 to 64 not working and not seeking or available to work (economically inactive) also fell. Ther e wer e 32.01 million people in work, 175,000 more than for December 2016 to
Febr uary 2017 and 324,000 mor e than for a year earlier.
Construction Output – May 2017 Constr uction output fell in May 2017 by 1.2%, in both the month- on-month and
three-month-on-
three-month time series. The latter decrease represents the lar gest three-month-on-three-month fall in output since September 2012, driven by falls in both repair and maintenance, and all new work.
Commodity Prices – June 2017 According to The Wo
World Bank, en orld Bank, energy
commodity prices declined 6.4% in June 2017, while non-energy prices fell 1.3%. Food and beverages prices fell 1.1% and 0.7%, respectively. My.. Metals and minerals prices eased 0.7%, while precious metals gained 1.1%.
Sterling steadied on Friday, July 21y,, Jul but was on track to record its worst week against the euro in nine months, with the single currency rallying across the board on bets that the European Central Bank was on track to tighten monetary policy next year. The pound has lost almost 2.5% against the euro this week - its biggest losses since last October 2016. 1 GBP = 1.116 EUR 1 GBP = 1.300 USD
Foreign Exchange Analysis – Reuters Friday, July 21 Sterling steadied on Friday
y,
www.diyweek.net
HOME IMPROVEMENT B
Trades Association (BHETA) TA
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36
