The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has published August 2012 results of its Future Trends Survey. Completed by a mix of small, medium and large firms based on a geographically representative sample, the survey monitors business and employment trends affecting the architects' profession.
The Future Workloads Index for August 2012 stands at +4, a slight increase from the 0 recorded in the previous month. This indicates that architects workloads are expected to remain relatively stable in the short term but with no significant growth anticipated by the profession in the next quarter. Larger practices (51 or more staff) and medium sized (11-50 staff) remain the most optimistic; architects in London and the South of England remain the most positive about future workload prospects.
The overall Future Trends Staffing Index fell from 0 in the previous month to -3 in August.
"The architect's profession, with a significant proportion of its input being at the front end of the construction procurement process, is a good bellwether for how workloads and staffing levels are going to fare for the wider construction industry in the coming months," commented Adrian Dobson, RIBA Director of Practice.
"Although workloads for architects appear to have stabilised, the overall global economy remains depressed and we can expect conditions for architectural work to stay challenging; improvement in the broader construction industry looks set to remain sluggish."