Construction faces a long road to recovery C that's the verdict from research by the Institute for Turnaround (IFT). It puts the sector as the second-most-likely to be "hardest hit by the economic downturn".
The view comes from a group of turnaround professionals, individuals who are often parachuted into companies when they get into difficulties.
In a poll published today, 22% of them believe businesses in the construction sector are among the top three most likely to be the worst affected by the slowdown.
That represents an increase from a figure of 20% a year ago.
The worst figure is dropped on the retail sectors' hat (25%). Construction comes next (22%) followed by manufacturing (15%).
Christine Elliott, chief executive of the IFT, said: "Many UK businesses have seen a hefty impact on their balance sheets. While some managers may have taken steps to prepare, many could not have predicted quite how severe economic conditions would become.
"It is vital businesses keep a close eye on their cash flow and cut any unnecessary costs in order to pull through these adverse conditions."
Overall, confidence in the UK business sector remains low, with only 10% of members believing UK firms are well equipped to deal with a downturn in the economy.
Regionally, businesses operating in London are expected to be hardest hit, followed by the Midlands, the South East and North East.
The turnaround professionals polled think that, first and foremost, businesses should focus on generating cash in order to increase their chances of surviving the economic crisis.(By John Leitch)
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