Most Canadian construction professionals saw private residential activity drop in the second quarter of 2025, indicating that US tariffs are having a chilling effect on the industry.
A net -34% noticed a reduction, the weakest reading since the survey was formed in late 2019.
US tariffs are causing material costs to rise across the industry.
Despite this apparent negativity, construction rose in terms of social infrastructure, water & waste, as well as transport.
The Construction Sentiment Index research comes from RICS-CIQS.
Sheila Lennon, CAE, chief executive officer of CIQS, said: “Despite growing uncertainty in the residential and non-residential sectors and continued concern regarding the US tariffs, rising material costs, and continued skills shortages, infrastructure workloads saw the strongest pickup since early 2023.
“This infrastructure growth offers significant opportunities for quantity surveyors, as they play a critical role in forecasting costs and ensuring project efficiency to manage risk and maintain financial stability of projects. “
A net +6% of surveyors are largely positive about the state of the construction industry, up from -3% in Q1.
Most foresee there being rising headcounts in the next year with a net +17% expecting to see more new recruits.
