LONDON, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- British construction purchasing managers' index (PMI) dropped to 57.6 in December 2014 from 59.4 in November, recording the lowest reading over the past 17 months, said Markit Economics Limited on Monday.
The data was substantially below the market expectation consensus of 59, though it has registered the 20th month of exceeding the 50.0 activities expansion threshold.
December saw "divergent trends" between the three categories of construction output monitored by the survey, said the London-based market surveyor.
House building activity remained the strongest performing sub-category, although the pace of expansion moderated to its least marked since June 2013; commercial construction increased at a slower pace than in the previous month; while civil engineering activity decreased slightly, ending a 17-month period of continuous expansion, data showed.
Meanwhile, the rate of job creation in December 2014 was slightly less marked than in November, but still well above the survey's historical average, said Markit.
Tim Moore, senior economist at Markit, commented that over the course of 2014, British construction firms recorded the strongest calender year of residential building since the survey began since 1997.
"While new business growth moderated to its lowest for a year-and-a-half in December, UK construction firms are still highly upbeat about their prospects for output growth in 2015," Moore noted.
