Key Statistics: 27th March 2012

Glenigan's weekly roundup of keys statistics for the UK construction industry and the wider economy.

UK Economy

• The value of retail sales increased by 3.2% between February 2012 and February 2011, according to the ONS. Sales volumes increased slower, with a 1% growth registered over the period.
• The Government’s net borrowing in February was £15.2 billion, higher than expected.
• The average worker in the public sector was paid 8.2% more per hour than their private sector counterpart, according to the ONS. The figure, for April 2011, compares with a gap of just 5.3% in 2007 and 7.8% in 2010.