UK-headquartered consulting engineer Arup is planning to lay off staff in London because of a slowdown in work following the 23 June vote to leave the European Union.
The multi-disciplinary firm, which had a hand in designing some of the world’s most famous buildings, including Beijing’s National Aquatics Centre (pictured) and the Sydney Opera House, plans to cut up to 10% of staff at its Buildings London division, which employs around 900 people.
Sources told The Sunday Times (paywall) that about 90 jobs would be lost in total, with final decisions made by the end of October.
Arup would seek to redeploy staff, including engineers, architects and project managers, where possible.
“We are seeing signs of delays in investment decisions, particularly in the commercial sector, as investors wait for clarity on Britain’s future relationship with the EU,” Nigel Tonks, head of Arup’s Buildings London office, wrote in an email to staff last week, which was seen by the newspaper.
According to the newspaper, doubts hover over several major building projects in London following the vote for Brexit. French conglomerate Axa is considering delaying the construction of a City skyscraper known as the Pinnacle, while Qatari Diar, the Middle Eastern developer of Chelsea Barracks in west London, has delayed part of that project.
The newspaper comments that Arup’s decision will be seen as an “ominous sign” for the construction industry, which was forecast to be among the worst-hit sectors by the decision to leave the EU.
Image: Arup has had a hand in designing some of the world’s most famous buildings, including Beijing’s National Aquatics Centre (Wikimedia Commons)
