RIBA have just published our latest report on architecture business and employment trends, RIBA Future Trends January 2026.
The January report shows that confidence has returned, with the RIBA Future Workload Index rising to +3, up from -5 in December. This ends a four-month period of negative balances and suggests that practices, on balance, expect workloads to grow over the next three months. Twenty-seven per cent of practices anticipate an increase in workloads, while 25% expect a decline and 48% expect no change. However, current workloads remain lower than a year ago, with the average practice reporting a 12% decrease compared with twelve months ago.
As in previous months, the headline figure masks differences by practice size.
The outlook for small practices (1–10 staff) remains slightly negative at -1, though this represents a ten-point improvement on December and is the least pessimistic figure since last July. In contrast, medium and large practices (11+ staff) remain firmly optimistic, with a combined Workload Index of +23, despite softening slightly from December.
Regionally, outlooks have improved across the UK. All but one region reports positive expectations, with the North of England (+17) and Wales and the West (+14) recording strong balances. The South of England (-8) remains the only region in negative territory, although this marks a significant improvement on December.
Sector expectations remain cautious. Although three of the four monitored sectors improved this month, all remain marginally negative. The Private Housing sector recorded the largest recovery, moving from -14 to -3, its highest balance since mid-2025. The Commercial sector, however, slipped back into negative territory at -3. The staffing outlook is mixed. The Permanent Staffing Index remains at -1, suggesting continued caution around long-term recruitment, while the Temporary Staffing Index rose to +6, indicating that some practices may be increasing short-term capacity in anticipation of higher workloads.
Practices continue to report planning delays, increasing regulatory requirements, and fee competition as key constraints on project progression. While many note that enquiries remain slow –
Find a summary on the page linked above.
Adrian Malleson, RIBA Head of Economic Research and Analysis, said:
“January’s +3 Workload Index suggests confidence is tentatively returning as 2026 begins, ending four months of negative balances.
While smaller practices remain cautious,
Although market challenges persist – including planning delays, regulatory pressures and intense fee competition – some practices report early signs of market recovery and anticipate workloads strengthening in the months ahead.”
If you would like a briefing or further analysis from our Head of Research, Adrian Malleson, please get in touch.
Read the full January report here: https://www.riba.org/