The S&P Global/CIPS Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for the sector came in at 40.1 in December, not much higher than its 5-1/2-year low of 39.4 in November. The drop extended the sector's downturn to 12 months, its longest unbroken run of contractions since the global financial crisis of 2007-09. Despite a lifting of budget-related uncertainty, delayed spending decisions were still cited as contributing to weak sales pipelines at the close of the year." While the downturn in civil engineering eased, it remained the weakest performing category in December. The residential building activity subindex dropped to 33.5, the weakest reading since May 2020 when lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic halted construction work.

Source: The Edge Markets January 07, 2026 17:54 UTC