The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has published September 2012 results of its Future Trends Survey.
The RIBA Future Trends Workloads Index for September 2012 stands at -3, falling from +4 in August 2012. Workloads in London (balance figure +9) continue to be more resilient than other parts of the United Kingdom, however this month saw a significant upturn in the workload forecast for the Midlands and East Anglia (balance figure +14).
24% of respondents reported that they had personally been under-employed in the previous month. 57% of survey respondents expect no change in workloads over the next quarter, supporting the perception that the market for architects' services is relatively stable at its current levels but with few immediate prospects of any short term increase in overall workloads.
The RIBA Future Trends Staffing Index decreased to -6 in September 2012, falling from a balance figure of -3 in August 2012.
"86% of respondents reported that they expect their staffing levels to be unchanged over the coming quarter," commented Adrian Dobson, RIBA Director of Practice. "This continues to reflect a situation in which practices are able to maintain current staffing levels but remain cautious about additional recruitment."