CONSTRUCTION workers in the North West are the most positive about the outlook for workloads in the coming year, says the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

According to the latest survey by RICS, 43 per cent expect a rise in construction activity, while 26 per cent are optimistic they will hire new recruits.

RICS said past surveys have flagged up long-running concerns about planning delays. However, since the start of 2018 these worries have lessened, which could have the potential to "ease the housing shortage" and speed up the delivery of new homes, said the industry body.

The number of firms reporting a shortage of skilled labour has dropped, but many flagged up the scarcity of quantity surveyors.

Workloads on private housing schemes in the North West increased, but slowed down in other construction sectors, said RICS, including infrastructure, private industrial space and commercial property, and public housing.

RICS economist Jeff Matsu said the prospects for construction workloads and jobs had "modestly improved", amid prolonged uncertainty over Brexit.