Output levels in UK construction fell again in July, but at their slowest rate in four months, according to the latest Purchase Managers’ Index (PMI) from S&P Global. S&P Global’s UK Construction PMI has been below 50 for every month since January 2025, the longest continuous stretch of decline since the global financial crisis of 2008. The slower rates of contraction were seen across all three main divisions within the construction sector, S&P Global noted. Carly Thorpe, construction and engineering partner at law firm Walker Morris, said the PMI readings gave reasons for “cautious optimism”. Nonetheless, the long-term prospects for UK construction will be a function of how effectively the industry can modernise, said Scott Smyth, managing director in supply chain and engineering at Accenture.