WHILE last week’s reported slump in the construction sector is clearly unwelcome, we should be wary of regarding the figures as too much of a shock or concern.

Stepping away from the broader debate over whether ONS figures for the first quarter of 2011 indicate a growing or stagnant economy, it’s important that we don’t lose sight of the nuances of our own industry.

The construction sector accounts for a significant portion of the UK economy.

However, its invariably volatile nature creates a challenging environment for any analyst trying to identify a long-term trend, thus rendering any conclusions risky at best.

It is also worth noting that, for the large part, we remain at the will of investors, developers and owners, each of whom must have the confidence and resources to commence projects.

As public purse strings continue to tighten, a full- blown renaissance will only occur with significant private sector investment.

This remains unlikely, as wavering confidence in the UK’s economic recovery makes the risk of many major projects difficult to justify.

However, from our perspective as hospitality construction specialists, it’s certainly not all doom and gloom.

A steadily-growing demand for new building stock and the significant value of some contracts has given us room for much optimism.

To this end, the private sector is living up to its responsibilities to lead the country out of the recession.

International brands such as Hilton, Intercontinental Hotels and Wyndham continue to award franchise and management opportunities to ambitious developers and operators such as one of our principal clients, Sanguine Hospitality, which in turn have led to burgeoning demand for specialist design and build support.

Our recent work with the Hilton group, which has involved refreshing its portfolio of show suites, demonstrates an appetite for further growth in this sector.

Therefore, I think any intense focus on the hospitality sector might be somewhat misplaced.

Instead, as hospitality operators move forward with muted confidence, perhaps it is time for other sectors to follow suit and allow construction professionals to support those ambitions, just as we continue to do.