Builder To Shed Hundreds Of Jobs

Tag : construction and building
The beleaguered house building sector has suffered a fresh blowafter another company announced job losses.
Sector badly hit by housing market downturn
The Stewart Milne Group plans to axe nearly 300 posts, blaming thedownturn in the industry for the cuts.
In the past month, several other construction firms have unveiledmajor job losses, leading to thousands of people being laid-off.
Barratt Developments plans to cut around 1,000 jobs, whilePersimmon has shed another 1,000.
The sector has been badly hit by the slowdown in the housingmarket.
Aberdeen-based Stewart Milne Group said around 289 jobs could belost, which is about 20% of its UK workforce.
Cuts would take place across the country, with 120 jobs underthreat in North East Scotland, 73 in Scotland's central belt and 96in England.
The group said that it had been affected by the ongoing challengesfacing the housebuilding industry.
Chief executive Stewart Milne said: "No one in our sector is immunefrom the downturn.
"The lack of liquidity and lower consumer confidence has resultedin a decline in sales and despite our efforts to overcome thesechallenges, the ongoing market conditions have impacted on us."
The company has begun consultations with employees about potentialjob losses.
Scottish Labour's housing spokesman, Johann Lamont, said she was"deeply concerned" by the news.
She said: "The construction industry has warned that the drasticslow-down in private sector house building caused by the creditsqueeze has already cost up to 10,000 Scottish jobs.