International

Key points: Sharper increase in output amid solid new order growth Faster expansions in employment and purchasing Input cost inflation at 39-month high The latest AIB Ireland Construction PMI® data pointed to improving growth momentum in the Irish construction sector. Total activity increased at a sharper rate in March amid a further solid expansion in new…

Key findings: Substantial acceleration pushes cost inflation to 40-month high Sharpest fall in new orders since last October Business confidence turns negative The end of the first quarter of 2026 signalled a stronger contraction in eurozone construction activity, according to the latest PMI® data from S&P Global. The rate of decline was the sharpest seen for…

Key Findings: Total Activity Index sinks to 18-month low of 38.4 Input cost inflation jumps to its highest rate in almost three years Business confidence weakens sharply France's construction sector slipped deeper into contraction during March, registering its sharpest decline in activity levels since September 2024. Subsequently, surveyed companies retrenched harder, cutting purchasing volumes more…

Key Findings: Residential building leads widespread downturn across monitored sub-sectors Buying activity lowered as cost inflation rises Pessimism signalled regarding 12-month outlook The Italian construction sector fell back into contraction in March, while war in the Middle East added to inflationary pressures. The trends of reduction in output and new orders were renewed after just a…

Key findings: Sharp intensification of cost pressures amid outbreak of war in the Middle East Total industry activity falls at slowest rate in yearto-date Business expectations turn negative as slump in new orders deepens Businesses in Germany's construction sector reported a sharp spike in cost pressures at the end of the first quarter linked to the…

Key points: First rise in construction activity in ten months Marked expansion of new orders Faster increases in employment and purchasing activity The latest AIB Ireland Construction PMI® data signalled a renewed rise in activity in the sector during February, ending a period of reduction stretching back to May last year. The expansion in activity was…

Key findings: Reductions recorded across all three monitored segments Cost inflation at highest in nearly three years Business confidence reaches highest level since February 2022 The eurozone construction sector recorded a further decline in activity in February, though the rate of contraction eased from that seen a month prior, according to the latest HCOB PMI® survey…

Key Findings: Civil engineering activity plummets; housing and commercial downturns ease Construction material purchases shrink as new project wins decrease again HCOB Future Activity Index up sharply, but pessimists still outweigh optimists The protracted downturn in France's construction industry extended into February, according to the latest HCOB PMI® data. All three types of construction work…

Key Findings: Renewed expansions in total activity and new business Sustained rise in jobs and fresh increase in purchasing Strongest cost inflation in over three years Italian construction companies responded to fresh growth in order books with a slight increase in activity levels, sustained job creation and a renewed expansion in purchasing activity during February. The…