Key Statistics: 10th January 2012

Glenigan's weekly roundup of keys statistics for the UK construction industry and the wider economy.

UK Economy

• Retail sales were 2.2% higher on a like-for-like basis last month on December 2011, according to the British Retail Consortium.
• UK labour productivity increased by 0.2% in the third quarter of 2011 on an output per hour basis, according to the ONS. Productivity of the production industries rose by 1.2%, within which manufacturing productivity rose by 1.4% to a record level.
• The ONS also reported that the seasonally adjusted index of services increased by 1.1% in October 2011 compared with October 2010.
• The overall profitability of UK private non-financial corporations in the third quarter of 2011 was 12.9%, which is higher than the revised estimate of 12.8% recorded in the second quarter of 2011.
• The Halifax House Price Index fell by 0.1% over the final three months of 2011 compared to the previous quarter. The average price of £160,063 in December is 1.3% lower than December 2010.