The specialist sector continues to benefit from improving economic conditions according to the latest NSCC State of Trade Survey.

Specialist constructors have recently reported an increase in the number of orders in the second quarter of 2014 as it rose to 57% from slightly over 27% in 2013 according to National Special Contractors Council (NSCC).

NSCC also reported that around 59% of specialist contractors expect to see increases in workload in the next quarter and a high of 72% of those questioned indicated they expect to see an increase in workload over the next 12 months.

Capacity is increasingly becoming an issue and suggests specialist contractors will need to increase their workforce to meet demand. Issues have been raised surrounding the skills shortage in the construction industry whereas 64% of specialist contractors indicating they’ve experienced an increase with construction supplies .

The National Specialist Contractors Council (NSCC) brings together the common aims of 30 specialist trade organisations within the construction industry and is the authoritative voice of 7,000 Specialist Contractors in the UK.

NSCC Chief Executive Suzannah Nichol MBE said: "It's encouraging to see the early effects of the Construction Supply Chain Payment Charter with the result that more Specialist Contractors are now being paid within 30 days. Continuing this trend along with investing in the skills of our workforce to meet the current demand is essential if we are to sustain the growth we all want."